28,850+
Structural Components Supplied
42KM+
Total Pultruded FRP
21KM+
Cable Tray installed
3
Phased shipment arrived on Schedule
THE CHALLENGE
A major US renewable energy developer required a durable underground cable management solution for a large utility-scale solar site.
Steel cable tray was ruled out not only due to corrosion risk in ground-contact conditions, but on sustainability grounds — steel is a carbon-intensive material with a significantly higher embodied carbon footprint than FRP, requiring energy-intensive production, periodic chemical recoating throughout its service life, and earlier replacement.
For a developer whose core mission is the transition away from fossil-fuel dependency, specifying steel infrastructure beneath a renewable energy asset was simply inconsistent with the project's environmental values.
FRP provided a structurally equivalent solution with a fraction of the embodied carbon, a 30+ year design life, and zero toxic maintenance processes making it the only material specification that genuinely aligned with the sustainability objectives of the development.
THE SOLUTION
Reinforce Technology supplied 7,000 units of 3-metre, 150mm FRP cable tray incorporating a snap-on, snap-off modular design. Polyester resin was selected for its proven long-term ground-contact performance in such environments.
The snap-fit system eliminates traditional lid fixing and mechanical fastening on site, allowing installation teams to work rapidly across the full site footprint
without specialist tools — directly addressing the developer's labour intensity requirements. Maintenance teams benefit from the same advantage throughout the asset's operational life, with quick cable access requiring no specialist equipment.
Each tray unit was supplied with a matching pultruded FRP snap-fit lid, bringing the total volume of pultruded FRP product across the site to 42KM — one of the largest FRP cable management installations in US solar infrastructure.
Prior to supply, the product underwent independent testing aligned to the developer's technical requirements. Every criterion was met at first submission meaning no retesting, no remedial action required.
Delivery was structured across three phased shipments coordinated to align with construction milestones. Reinforce Technology managed full customs and logistics coordination to ensure on-schedule import clearance and uninterrupted site supply across all three phases.
THE RESULT
All three delivery phases were completed on schedule, maintaining installation momentum across the site programme. Product has been successfully received and is staged for installation as construction advances through subsequent build phases.
By specifying FRP over steel, the developer has eliminated an estimated 50+ years of recoating cycles, chemical treatment and premature replacement from the asset's maintenance programme — delivering infrastructure that genuinely reflects the sustainability ambitions of the wider development.
The project remains ongoing, with Reinforce Technology continuing to provide technical support and logistics coordination as installation progresses.
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