Having the ability to build a variety of pole lengths and classes from just eight modules gives utilities faster deployment time for emergency outages.
November 2006
Rio Grande EC had just finished installing a 34.5kV line when a tornado touched down. "We lost eight 40 ft. [12.2m] Class 3 wooden poles. RGEC Operations reported that the RS composite poles that we installed in this area 'did not budge at all'."
Rio Grande EC
The RS pole was chosen for Southern California Edison's 'Circuit of the Future' - a project that utilized the most advanced, reliable utility products on the market.
You can't beat the warranty. We like to use RS poles to harden our infrasturcture in critical, high value locations.
West Kentucky EC
On the condition they were installed quickly, we received an order from Mexico's largest utility to install 34 communication poles 141 ft. [43m] in length. RS helped us out tremendously by having the first truck on the road only 48 hours after we placed the order. Aligned with our installation schedule, additional trucks followed every week thereafter until the project was completed.
EICSA
We’re pleased with how the construction of a new 30-mile 138kV transmission line is going so far and how RS has been responsive in helping us come up with solutions to a few technical issues.
Dixie Escalante REA
We are constructing one of the world’s largest wireless broadband networks to date, and our experience with your product has confirmed the many advantages of using the RS monopole throughout our communications network.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
RS poles have noteworthy environmental advantages. Almost all wooden poles currently in use today require chemical treatments to prevent deterioration. RS poles, by comparison, do not need to be coated with Penta, Arsenic or Creosote. Likewise, the manufacturing process does not produce any VOCs or HAPs. As a result, these poles are the most environmentally friendly ones available in the market place.
January 2006
We realize the distinct advantages that composites provide, especially when it comes to utility poles. Composite poles are lighter in weight, easier for field modifications, and safer for my crews due to their extremely low conductivity.
City of College Station
After our analysis was complete, RS poles were the obvious monopole choice for this broadband project. The standard sized, nesting modules allowed for quick lead time and cost effective transportation.
Morrison Hershfield Ltd.
We were able to set the fibreglass poles with our own equipment and avoid the cost of crane rental.
Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative
The RS pole was an easy solution to a difficult problem. The lightweight and modularity attributes of the pole made for hassle-free transportation to the construction site and enabled us to use our mini-derrick rather than a regular line truck, which would have had major difficulty crossing the wet terrain.
Prince George Electric Cooperative
Compared to other transmission poles we evaluated, the RS pole was the most cost effective. Transportation, assembly and installation was easier and less expensive than that of traditional poles.
Midlite Powerline Construction
RS composite poles provide distinct advantages over wood, steel and concrete. Although the economic evaluation alone justified their use, the most significant advantage that the RS poles will contribute to the 69kV line build is the ability for Grand Bahama Power forces to install 100% of the poles, minimizing the need for specialized line crews and eliminating any additional equipment requirements beyond their existing fleet.
Barkley Technologies
With our proximity to the Gulf Coast we are very interested in the RS poles’ capabilities to resist air corrosion as well as the 41-year limited warranty that these poles will not fail in a hurricane.
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
The logistical advantages of RS poles have allowed us to keep ahead of a very tight build schedule, and the modular concept facilitates exceptional inventory flexibility given that our installations typically range in height from 20 to 40m [66 to 132 ft.] all constructed from standard modules.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
SLECA has many utility poles in our system that are located in hard to reach locations and many are surrounded by deep vegetation. It was therefore the lightweight and modular design of RS poles that initially caught our attention as a unique solution to some of our most difficult applications.
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
The 35 foot [11m] modules allowed us to take the poles through hilly terrain where it would have been very difficult to pull longer loads. Plus, installation is faster and easier with the lighter modules, which helps to minimize the surface impacts of line construction.
Dixie Escalante REA
RS monopoles have contributed to shortened lead times, fast, economic and permit-free transportation, and extremely efficient 20 to 40m [66 to 132 ft.] pole assembly and setting.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
This area has traditionally experienced woodpecker damage. By using RS poles, there is no longer a concern. It is expected that these poles will provide Hydro Ottawa with a long, reliable, and maintenance free service life.
Hydro Ottawa
The assembled RS pole is only about one-half the weight of a comparable steel pole. Because of that weight differential, we can use our existing material handling equipment and did not require heavy duty/more expensive equipment to complete the installation.
Dixie Escalante REA
The 80 ft. [24m] RS poles were much easier to handle than any wood or concrete poles of equal length.
Coast Electric Power Association
The 60-foot [18m] Class 2 poles were delivered nested, four lengths one inside the other, and were easily transported to the site on a flatbed trailer. The nested poles were off-loaded with standard Hydro vehicles. Two men could handle the individual sections of the pole. The lengths were assembled on-site by hand in relative short order. The use of any additional trucks or equipment was not required.
Hydro Ottawa
The installation would have been suitable for the less costly concrete pole; however, a crane would have been rented just to install the one pole since there were no other poles needed at the site to share the crane cost. With those factors considered, the fiberglass pole was again the desirable choice.
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
The RS pole was chosen for this installation because power reliability for the manufacturing facility it is feeding is paramount.
Calhoun Utility System
Reliability of the line, feeding a $4.5 billion resort complex, was paramount especially in light of the damage sustained to lines during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. Design considerations of the new build included a line that would sustain 150 mph wind speeds, overall life cycle cost effectiveness including future maintenance, ease of installation using existing equipment and an environmentally sensitive solution. After our evaluation was complete, the RS composite pole provided the best all round solution the only composite pole that we could analyze in PLS-POLE.
Barkley Technologies
Because of its material, the RS pole itself offers some insulating benefit and contributes to the overall BIL of the structure.
Dixie Escalante REA
Hydro Ottawa is a traditional wood pole utility. There are environmental concerns regarding the use of wood and wood treatments. There is also increased public interest for improved aesthetics in overhead lines. Hydro Ottawa is reviewing its options for alternative pole materials and RS modular composite poles were a logical choice.
Hydro Ottawa
We selected the RS product because it is lighter and therefore can be installed much faster, reducing customer outage time. And the fact that these innovative poles are built in segments means they are easier for our crews to move to work sites.
Southern California Edison
Pole aesthetics also played a significant role in the decision making process and RS poles came out on top there too.
Calhoun Utility System
We’re also eager to see how the RS poles perform in this particular application, and expect it will tolerate our alkaline soil better than steel, which we have found corrodes in a short time.
Dixie Escalante REA
Additionally, an expected service life of 80 years and zero maintenance required should result in additional cost savings.
Midlite Powerline Construction
With labor costs being a major component of our installation costs, it is important to have a product that is easy and quick to install, without extra costs for special equipment. Our 70 ft. [21.3 m] CL 1 poles were delivered nested and were very easy to transport to the installation site. The fact that the poles are maintenance-free means they will continue to save us money over the long-term.
ENMAX Power Corporation
LADWP crews were amazed at how easy the modular poles were to handle...the fact that a modular, composite pole can take between one-half and one-third the time to install compared to other poles is a huge advantage. LADWP calculated that the installed cost of the RS poles was approximately 50% less than other poles.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The weight of the poles was a huge plus —the handling alone saved us an enormous amount of labor and equipment cost. We were under enormous pressure from the power company to get this line complete about 6 weeks ahead of schedule while their engineer was still making changes right up to the last minute. Given the opportunity, I would most definitely use this product again.
Rosendin Electric – Wind Division
The installation crew was really impressed with how easily the poles were installed. All it took was a two-person crew to erect each pole.
NorthWesTel
We are continuing to find new applications of this versatile product and the RS engineering team has always been there to support us.
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
Lightweight RS poles enable installation crews to utilize lighter duty machinery during setting. In fact, most of the modules used for typical distribution poles can be carried by hand.
When setting the pole, the modules allow for installation sequencing options. The entire pole can be assembled on the ground and then installed. Alternatively, the base can be installed first and the remaining top modules added at a later time either one at a time or as a preassembled unit.
On-the-fly line design changes to pole height and class are easily accomplished by simply adding or removing the desired module. Pole modularity also provides for simple circuit height adjustments, future system expansion and revenue generating joint use potential.
Compared to traditional pole materials, smaller helicopters can be used to lift fully constructed H-frames for challenging location drops. A Norwegian utility concluded that after setting over 30 miles [48km] of a 132kV transmission line exclusively using RS poles that their total installed cost was 5-10% less using RS poles compared to wood poles. Fully framed H-frames were set in single helicopter lifts at a maximum rate of 5 miles [8km] per day!
RS poles are easily cut and/or drilled in the field.
