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Zoltek's Take: This is exactly the type of project that needs to be undertaken in the U.S. Our current electricity grid is the ultimate constraint for full-fledged use of alternative energy as a means for generating electricity in our country. We’re glad to see that there are groups/individuals out there who are offering innovative ideas and solutions for making our electricity grid more practical and functional in order to capture the full value that is generated from alternative energy sources.
This type of project would increase the use of wind turbines, which is an area that our carbon fibers are fully immersed in. The second area in which we could see some benefit is using our carbon fibers in composite cable cores. Composite cable cores reduce the overall/long-term cost of building electrical transmissions lines and greatly reduce the amount of electricity that gets “lost� because of sag and wear and tear.
Overall, we believe that a transmission system like the one proposed in this article would be extremely beneficial for the U.S., alternative energy, and Zoltek.