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CSA approves aluminum messenger cables for utility-scale solar arrays

Photo courtesy Government of Alberta.

Following a proposal submitted in 2021, Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group has officially approved aluminum messenger cables for use in utility-scale solar arrays, with its triennial update to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC).

Aluminum is suitable for this application due to its relative strength, conductive properties and corrosion resistance. It has been used widely for decades in power transmission and distribution (T&D) cables. Further, aluminum alloys and steel-reinforced aluminum have been allowed for use in solar messenger cables in the U.S. for years.

“We’ve found aluminum to be the happy medium between steel and copper for solar messenger cable construction,” says Dan Smith, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) for cable management system (CMS) provider Affordable Wire Management (AWM), who put forth the proposal. “We engaged CSA because we saw the potential opportunity.”

Smith has been part of CSA’s Section 12 subcommittee, which focuses on developing code for wiring methods, since AWM worked on the Travers Solar Project (pictured), a 465-MW photovoltaic (PV) power station in Alberta’s Vulcan County, back in 2021.

The update has been made to CSA C22.1:24, the 26^th edition of the CEC.