Aluminum Extrusions are Better for Solar Frame Structures

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has released the results of a study that confirms the material and economic advantages of using extruded aluminum for solar structural framing applications. Material, fabrication, transportation and field assembly costs were estimated and vetted for use in the study. The study, Manufacturing and Lifecycle Cost Analysis for Aluminum Solar Structures by IBIS Associates — a technology research and consulting firm, proves that there are compelling technical and economic reasons to consider and use extrusions for parabolic trough and other structural applications.

“Approximately 30 percent of the worldwide CSP parabolic trough installations use aluminum extrusion, but there are still many companies that do not fully understand why extrusions are so ideally suited to this application,” said Craig Werner, president of Werner Extrusion Solutions LLC in Lake Forest, Illinois and leader of the AEC Solar Market Development Team. “This study demonstrates how the use of aluminum extrusions provides a competitive advantage in these solar applications from a long-term strategic material viewpoint.”

The IBIS study provides compelling technical and economic reasons to consider and use extrusions for parabolic trough and other structural applications, whether considering long-term material pricing,current material pricing, or the comparative material prices of aluminum, steel and zinc at any time over the last two decades. “Using aluminum extrusions for the frame structure provides cost and performance benefits that far outstrip the pure material cost difference,” said Werner.