Affordable Wire Management introduces two utility-scale hardware products - pv magazine USA
Affordable Wire Management introduces two utility-scale hardware products - pv magazine USA
Affordable Wire Management (AWM), a solar cable management systems manufacturer, announced two new products serving utility-scale solar projects.
The first is called Photon (Pulling Hardware & Optimized Tensioning On-the-Go) Kit, and it uses winch technology to assist with wire tensioning.
Above-ground cable management systems traditionally have required installation and tensioning of thousands of feet of messenger cable one pile at a time. AWM said this is a lengthy process that requires regular checks to temperature-dependent sag charts.
The Photon Kit instead uses a calibrated scale and winch to allow for precise end-to-end tensioning. The company said it speeds the process while diminishing the potential from cable snap or human error.
“Our Photon Kit has been proven to reduce project install times, often improving installation rates by 2.5 times or more,” said Scott Rand, chief executive officer and co-founder of AWM.
The kit was used in the Escalante Solar project, a 200 MW project in New Mexico.
“Construction crews were able to tighten 1000-1500 feet of cable in mere minutes and the 200+ MW project was completed in just a few months. That is record time, thanks to AWM’s innovations,” said David McElroy, electrical operations manager, Gridworks.
AWM’s other new product is called Helios (Heightened Elevation Load Integration & Outreach System). The product is a beam rod that is compatible with multiple pile types, attachable with a screw. It can also be attached to cylindrical piles via a U-bolt system.
Image: Affordable Wire Management
“Manufactured through an extrusion process, our Helios Beam Rod is stronger, more scalable, and more corrosion-resistant than its predecessors, making it robust enough to handle even the most challenging conditions,” said Rand.
AWM’s products and all of their subcomponents are produced in the United States, making them eligible contributions to the Inflation Reduction Act’s domestic content requirements. Projects reaching the required domestic content threshold may be eligible for a 10% installed system cost tax credit adder.
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