Hydro considers aluminum as the ‘metal of the future',

Hydro Aluminum will put aluminum in the spotlight at its Intersolar North America exhibition stand, booth 9129. The company says many of the technical qualities of the light metal are relevant for a range of applications linked to the solar industry, making aluminum highly competitive in comparison with other metals and other materials.

Hydro is a provider of extruded aluminum solutions in North America, including supply sourcing, extrusion, finishing and fabrication of components, as well as contract manufacturing services, for a variety of industries, such as solar.

Hydro’s precision-extruded aluminum framing systems are being utilized at the largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar facility in Latin America, in Durango, Mexico. Extruded aluminum offers efficient material utilization, low capital costs and short development times. In addition, its corrosion resistance and high stiffness to resist wind are supporting the system's accuracy and robustness. Hydro delivered the systems to Skyline Solar.

Hydro says the two companies’ engineering teams removed 40 percent of the structural material used in early frame prototypes, reducing Skyline's costs for raw materials, manufacturing and shipping.

Four new US solar fields, part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s renewable energy program, are using extruded aluminum rails on a mounting system for a “maximum light detection” system. This dual-axis tracking system, designed by Degerenergie, aligns the solar modules to the brightest source in the sky to guarantee maximum yield. The system requires stiffness, yet flexibility, in the tracker.