How to Improve the Efficiency, Capacity, Reliability and Resilience
of the Electric Power Grid with ACCC® Conductor  
CTC Global
ACCC® News - May 2021
Quick Update:

Since January 1st of this year, 37 ACCC® Conductor Projects have been completed, 59 are currently active and 63 additional ACCC® Conductor installations are scheduled to start within the next few months, in addition to over 900 completed. Why? Because the ACCC® Conductor offers the ability to improve the efficiency, capacity, reliability and resilience of the electric power grid, worldwide, while saving time, money and the environment.

To learn more, please visit www.ctcglobal.com
ACCC® Conductor is currently reducing CO2 emissions by over 3 million metric tons every year - the equivalent of removing over 750,000 cars from the road
How the ACCC® Conductor Can Help U.S. Utilities Reach Sustainability Goals and Future Proof the Grid
In the United States it is estimated that approximately 6% of all electricity generated is lost to the inefficiencies in our transmission and distribution grid. While great consideration is given to the efficiency of generation equipment and demand-side appliances, very little consideration is given to the efficiency of the wires that are installed in our power grid (except after-the-fact measurements).  

According to EIA, technical T&D estimated losses in the US are about 200 MILLION MWh per year. This means that the equivalent of 22,821 MW of power plants are running 100% of the time to serve grid line losses that do nothing more than heat the air. A reduction in line losses will not only reduce the cost of delivered power to consumers and reduce air and water emissions, it will also reduce the amount of clean and renewable generation resources required to reliably serve the electric load. 

The place to consider increasing the efficiency of a grid project is at the project design stage. While chosing an incandescent light bulb over an LED bulb might be an unwise decision, the inefficient light bulb can easily be replaced in a year. For a grid project, an overlooked efficiency opportunity may be a lost opportunity for decades.

The ACCC Conductor can not only help deliver more power from a wider range of generation assets, it can also reduce line losses by 30% or more. The return on investment is remarkable. Please take a closer look at www.ctcglobal.com
ACCC InfoCore™ System Deployment For Elia

CTC Global’s ACCC InfoCore™ System is now being serially deployed on major transmission projects in Europe. Most recently on a substantial Elia project, which forms a crucial part of the European 380 kV backbone energy transition.

The 92km route-length line is located in the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg. Starting at the Massenhoven high-voltage substation (in Zandhoven), the line runs along the Albertkanaal to the Heze (in Geel) and Meerhout high-voltage substations, and then on to the Van Eyck high-voltage substation (in Kinrooi) near to the Dutch and German borders. The original towers from the 1980s are a hybrid low-profile design and will include substation improvements to cater for the second circuit. The full project runs on to 2023.

Prior to field deployment, all ACCC InfoCore™ Conductor reels and finished conductor drums manufactured by Lamifil were subjected to InfoCore Confirmations at every step in the production and delivery stages to site, including on the drum-stand immediately before installation. During installation, all conductor reels, including splice lengths, are verified by CTC Global on-site personnel and the resulting data stored for access by Elia.

 “The ACCC InfoCore System is the culmination of many years’ sustained development by the CTC Global team. This involved not only in embedding the detection devices, but also the necessary hardware/software development and total systems approach to deliver rapid and meaningful results to the Utility” stated Peter Hughes, CTC’s VP Europe. “This real-time Confirmation system provides the Utility with the peace-of-mind that the conductor has been correctly installed. It represents a massive leap-forward in the wider adoption of high-performance composite-based conductors in Europe and we are delighted to witness its increasing consideration as an integral part of Utilities’ plans and projects.”

“We are satisfied with the recent results of this system, which has been the subject of substantial focus by Elia,” advised Jean-François Goffinet of Elia Engineering.

The ACCC InfoCore System is being deployed on two further large projects in Europe during 2021 and has been used in a total of ten projects by six Utilities, worldwide.
ENEL Completes 138 kV ACCC® Conductor Upgrade

With the support of Expoente Engineeering and Hot Line Construction, ENEL Distribuicao Goias completed an ACCC® Conductor upgrade on their 7.4 km LDAT Carajas – Goya 138 kV transmission line in Goiania, Brazil.

ENEL selected 430 kcmil (218.1 mm2) Linnet size ACCC® Conductor to replace 397.5 kcmil (233.9 mm2) Ibis size ACSR conductor on existing concrete poles with 195 meter ruling spans (230 meter max). This project increased line capacity from 450 amps to 786 amps (~1,000 amps emergency). The project included highway crossings.

ACCC Conductor for the project was supplied by Centelsa and ACCC Hardware was supplied by Forjasul. Project support and training was provided by ACCC Master Installer Edirlei Zacharias. Goiânia is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. The city is an important economic hub of the region and is considered a strategic center for industry, medicine, fashion and agriculture.
Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica de Dominicana (ETED) Completes ACCC® Conductor Upgrade

With the support of EPC firm Elecnor S.A., ETED completed their ACCC® Conductor Upgrade on a 138 kV vertically bundled transmission line in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic and one of the Caribbean's oldest cities.

ETED selected 491 kcmil (248.8 mm2) Gdansk size ACCC Conductor to replace 283.7 mm2 AAAC Darien size conductor installed in 2008 to increase line capacity to 1,500 amps. Existing steel monopoles with ~300 meter spans were retained without modification.

ACCC Conductor for the project was supplied by Taihan and ACCC Hardware was supplied by Industrias Arruti, S.A.. ACCC Master Installer Sergio Rojas provided training and installation support. 
T&D World Magazine - Reconductoring vs Rebuilding: SCE's Experience

An informative article that shares SCE's experience using ACCC® Conductor to improve grid efficiency, capacity and reliability.

The Importance of Grid Efficiency - Check out this quick video
ACCC® ULS Conductor Offers Added Strength and Reduced Sag

First deployed on a 1.4 kilometer lake crossing in Africa in 2013, The ACCC® ULS Conductor offers greater strength, a lower coefficient of thermal expansion and higher modulus of elasticity than the standard ACCC Conductor core. The ULS version has a higher carbon fiber content raising the tensile strength from 310 to 375 ksi (Compare this to 285 ksi high-strength steel). While the added strength and lighter weight can enable longer spans, the higher modulus and increased stiffness reduce sag and blow out during high wind conditions. Improved stiffness can also reduce sag under heavy ice load conditions.

The higher carbon fiber content also reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion from 1.6 x 10-6 /°C to 0.75 x 10-6 /°C. While dozens of engineers have specified ACCC ULS Conductor for projects, worldwide, the ULS version of the ACCC Conductor has served our clients well. The ACCC ULS Conductor is available in many sizes and offers transmission engineers added design flexibility.

The ACCC ULS Conductor can be ordered with Type 1350-O fully annealed aluminum or as an AZR version with Aluminum-Zirconium thermal resistant alloy for even higher overall conductor strength.
ACCC AZR Conductor – Expanding the Capabilities of the ACCC® Conductor Using Aluminum Zirconium Alloy

ACCC® AZR Conductor uses either the standard 310 ksi core or the higher strength 375 ksi core that is then wrapped with one or more layers of a high strength, thermal resistant aluminum-zirconium alloy. While conventional ACCC Conductors typically use fully annealed aluminum to maximize conductivity, the ACCC AZR Conductor offers nearly the same efficiency, but far greater overall strength. The added strength and increased tensile modulus mitigates conductor sag under heavy wind or ice loads, or very long spans. To learn more visit www.ctcglobal.com
Did You Know:

The ACCC® Conductor Core is the only carbon fiber conductor core in the world that meets the internationally recognized ASTM B-987 Standard, "Standard Specification for Carbon Fiber Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composite Core (CFC) for use in Overhead Electrical Conductors."

ASTM B-987 / B-987M - 20 can be found on ASTM's website at https://www.astm.org/Standards/B987.htm
CTC Global's Free Conductor Comparison Program CCP™ Software is Available Online

CTC Global is pleased to announce that our highly regarded Conductor Comparison Program (CCP™) software is now available online. The new web-based version has all the features found in the Excel version, which has been replaced and will no longer be supported. The new version is designed to make it easier to use, and it also has some new features. Having CCP online will make it easier to keep it up-to-date with new wire files and other data, and to add improvements as they are made. Users will always know they have the current version every time they log in. CCP is also compatible with tablets.

Registration to use CCP requires only a valid email address and password. Users may also use CCP as a guest however, saving and export features are only available to registered users.

Thank you for using our CCP. We welcome your feedback. For technical support, please contact ccphelp@ctcglobal.com
Looking for ACCC® Conductor Hardware?
Check out our Supplier Parts Database

CTC Global added a new Hardware Supplier Parts Database to our website. The database will help you find all of the hardware components you need to install ACCC® Conductor. The database shows which hardware manufacturers offer the parts you might need in your particular region while offering many options. 
If you need any additional support please contact info@ctcglobal.com
Free Engineering Manual
 
To help Transmission and Distribution planners, engineers, policy makers, grid operators, technicians and others take full advantage of the ACCC® Conductor's attributes, CTC Global has published a 250 page Engineering Manual.
 
It offers a very comprehensive set of design guidelines, case studies, figures and facts about conductors and composite materials, and includes links to additional resources and FAQ's
 
To download an electronic version please click: CTC Global Resources
Check out CTC Global's Blog

In addition to our monthly newsletter and social media posts, CTC Global also posts articles on the Company's BLOG SITE. If you haven't checked it out, please do when you have free time. You will find an interesting array of project details, industry trends and efficiency discussions and much more. We also do our best to respond to posted comments.
Follow CTC Global on LinkedIn

We hope you find our monthly newsletter informative, but realize you may not have time to read 1,000 e-mails every week. If you'd like to only receive periodic announcements about major CTC Global and ACCC® Conductor activities please consider following us on LinkedIn. To access our LinkedIn page please click: CTC Global LinkedIn 
Follow CTC Global on Twitter

For up to the minute news about CTC Global, the ACCC® Conductor, ACCC Installation Projects and other industry trends, news, and announcements please consider following CTC Global on Twitter. To do so, please click: CTC Global Twitter or look for us @CTC_ACCC
CTC Global is Hiring

If you're interested in CTC Global Career Opportunities and working with a profitable, growth oriented entrepreneurial company that is busy redefining its field, look to CTC Global.

We're dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality products by employing, developing, empowering and retaining the most energetic and talented employees. At CTC Global we value our employees highly and understand that the company's success is the sum of the success of every individual in the organization.

CTC Global is an equal opportunity employer, provides a drug-free workplace, free of discrimination and harassment, and offers a comprehensive benefits package to its full-time employees. Additionally, CTC has proudly taken the Veteran hiring pledge to affirm our commitment to actively hire veterans of the U.S Armed Forces. For information on a challenging and rewarding position at CTC Global, please contact our HR department directly at: careers@ctcglobal.com or https://www.ctcglobal.com/careers/
CTC Global Factory Video
CTC Global proudly works with top-tier manufacturing partners worldwide
ACCC® Conductor is an internationally patented and trademark registered product of CTC Global Corporation. The ACCC Conductor is manufactured in association with 34 qualified and licensed international stranding partners. If you are interested in the ACCC Conductor, please contact CTC Global to make sure your supplier is authorized to produce and deliver ACCC Conductor in your area. Thank You. 
CTC Global, Inc. 2026 McGaw Avenue Irvine,
CA 92614 Phone: +1 949.428.8500