CommScope, a provider of infrastructure solutions for communications networks, announced it will supply two wind farm projects with its GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel solution.

GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel solution is an alternative to solid and stranded copper that is in demand by utilities for its cost-efficiency and anti-theft characteristics.

There are two projects. The first project is the 30,000-acre Breckenridge Wind Farm that will use stranded copper clad steel in the ground grid collector system and produce 200 megawatts of wind energy, which has the capacity to power 54,000 homes.

The second project scheduled to use CommScope’s GroundSmart solution is the Rolling Hills Wind Farm. It is estimated to be one of the largest wind farms under construction in the state.

“As renewable energy continues to increase in popularity, developers are racing to keep up with the demand by constructing new wind farms throughout the country,” said Ric Johnsen, senior vice president, Broadband, CommScope, in a statement.

“These two projects are vital to the areas they serve and developers see GroundSmart as a simple solution to reducing projects costs without compromising the system’s integrity. These contracts also demonstrate that GroundSmart continues to gain acceptance in grounding applications,” Johnsen added.

Copper clad steel provides many benefits to customers. It’s a reliable alternative to the use of solid and stranded copper for grounding applications. Copper clad steel is designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. It’s an electrical conductor that has an outer sleeve of copper metallurgically bonded to a solid steel core.

Recently, CommScope announced it is offering new services to wireless operators that meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) guidelines. These new services are in response to the FCC's revised E911 compliance requirements.