Polymer Concrete Insulation Technology as a Feasible Development Incubator for Rural Electric Cooperatives & Their Local Communities

Polymer concrete composites are now well established for various applications in the electric power industry world-wide. Insulators to replace electrical porcelain and underground boxes in lieu of fiberglass, Portland cement concrete or metallic ones, are just a few examples. Under the auspices of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) the possibility of using polymer concrete pin insulators on rural electric systems was considered and these were indeed successfully tested in the field and deemed to be perfectly acceptable. However, because of the infancy of the application and a lack of manufacturers nationwide the potential of this application was not realized. This paper discusses the concept of a manufacturing incubator to benefit rural electric cooperatives to be self-sufficient with respect to their insulator, bushing and other electrical system needs by manufacturing locally to meet their relatively small requirements and also to enhance local and regional sustainable employment. The incubator, when fully operational, can be looked upon as a technology “time share”, which can benefit all the participants in many ways, including local in-house education and training in a technology with a promising future in the 21st century. The paper will furnish a broad over-view of the various manufacturing steps and likely future advancements which would make the technology even more attractive technically and economically.