GLDS
Neither Overhead Nor Underground: With novel Ground-Level Distribution Systems (GLDS), powerlines are neither suspended from utility poles nor buried underground. Instead, lines are placed inside protected and resilient conduits that rest on the ground.
Rapid deployment where trenching is not possible due to:
Excessive ground hardness, rocky soil
Inaccessibility for trenching equipment
Inability to dig in sacred land
Super high strength flexibility balanced, epoxy resin concrete:
Graphite grid reinforced with fiberglass to minimize cracking
Light weight mix to pump and deploy in remote locations
Water-free mix impervious to fire spalling and cracking
Maximum heat-dissipation capability to maintain cool temperature within HDPE conduit
Standard add-mix components with no special tools or techniques required to pour
Thermoplastic Polyolefin cable tray characteristics:
Impervious to UV and high flame temperature resilient (UL94, V-0)
RoHS Compliant and specifically designed for flame retardancy
Ability to embed line marking and safety warnings
Configurable to meet multiple bend and riser layouts
Snap together rapid installation feasibility
Configurable add fiber optic or additional communication cable options
Meeting California Electric Distribution System Needs
Meets rural, environmental, climate as well as ignition challenges Safety:
- Eliminates overhead ignition risk
- Removes overhead vegetation removal and working risks for crews
- Removes standard underground trenching hazards and spoilage removal
- Multilayers of arc protection: outer Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO, which is (Resin blends of
polypropylene (PP) and un-crosslinked EPDM rubber and polyethylene) tray, Fireproof Or Super concrete
(proprietary blend), inner HDPE conduit, and standard HPE cable Reliability:
- Eliminates PSPS shutdowns
- Removes animal, tree fall, and vegetation caused outages entirely Affordability:
- Less than half the cost of standard trenching
- Anticipated cost of < $2.5M/mile
Known as the Ground-Level Distribution System (GLDS) “packages electric cable in conduit in a specially molded tray, tied in with a Basalt Rebar, then sealed with a special geopolymer cement, placed at ground level and capped in thermoplastic.
Neither Overhead nor Underground, the Benefits of Putting Powerlines Right on the Ground
GLDS enables faster construction and reduced cost. The system is ideal for locations where undergrounding is not feasible, due to hard granite, lava rock, or cultural and environmental conditions.
The new method — which inserts the cable into a hard surface that typically can’t be cut open with everyday tools (and withstands being run over by semi-trucks without damage) will cost about $1.5 million to $2 million per mile and be done 2-3 times faster. The boxes can be put a few inches into the ground, but without the typical fuss of digging trenches.