Conserving energy is one of the biggest global challenges we face today and ABB, together with PMA (A member of the ABB Group), are very much at the heart of this ongoing issue.
As global leaders within the automation technology, power & energy sectors, it is imperative that we improve performance whilst lowering emissions, the environmental impact of our work and, in turn, that of our customers.
In all areas of our work we have specifically designed a broad range of products and services to decrease energy use and improve industrial productivity.
Within this, use of renewable energy is key to lowering emissions and consequently becoming ‘environmentally friendly’; with ABB playing a leading role in the solar power industry since the early 1990s, PMA have been able to share in their unique expertise of how to harness, control and store solar energy for conversion into a reliable energy source.
During the past four decades, PMA have worked hard to create polyamide products of a superior quality that are built to stand the test of time. And the multi-layer XSOL is no exception and is a cabling protection system to get excited about.
The XSOL is a medium-duty three-layered corrugated conduit. This powerhouse has an outer layer made from a high-grade, specially formulated polyamide 12; an intermediate layer made from a spec. bonding compound; and has an inner layer of high-grade specially formulated polyamide 6.
It’s this combination of different materials in each layer that enables the cable protection to achieve such exceptional performance levels, which have previously been unachievable.
Specifically designed for external applications, the XSOL is ideally suited within the energy, waste, technology and transportation industries due to a number of its impressive features: it is chemical resistant, has good strength at low temperature and humidity, is self-extinguishing and free from halogens and cadmium.
The XSOL has also been developed for applications that will experience long-term exposure to UV, face all weather conditions and that demands longevity from its cable protection. With a lifespan of 20 to 35 years, the XSOL is the ideal solution for longer-term applications such as solar panel installation.
In 2011 when PMA installed a photovoltaic plant on the roof of their building, like their customers, they required a high-quality, flexible cable protection system that they could be trusted over many years to come. The multi-layer XSOL was the obvious choice.
But it’s not only PMA who have complete faith in this multi-layered conduit – their local building authorities did too. During the installation of the solar panels the building authorities raised concerns, suggesting PMA might need to remove each solar panel to ensure better fire safety. However, once the local authorities had talked to PMA and assessed the high-quality PMA cable protection system they soon abandoned this requirement.
In recent years, solar power cabling in Switzerland and Germany has been heavily bitten in areas with a high marten population. In some cases the little creatures have chewed through the insulation of a control cable, managing to severe the cable.
Thankfully, PMA protection cables are rodent resistant which protects against a frustrating and expensive problem to resolve, particularly when insurers don’t always cover the cost of the damage.
So not only is the corrugated conduit resistant to extreme weather conditions, it also offers fire safety protection and prevents marten damage.
PMA is proudly identified under ABB’s low voltage division – working together towards a cleaner, healthier planet.
For more information on the multi-layer XSOL or other PMA products download our Energy Market catalogue or visit the PMA website, call PMA’s UK head office on 01264 333 527 or email pma-uk.info@tnb.com
