Capral Aluminium is used widely throughout Australia by a variety of industry sectors and in a diverse range of applications. In recent times, growing demand for locally sourced aluminium to service the solar sector has led to Capral considering the best way to support this growing industry.
You might not realise that when solar panels are fitted to the roof of homes or commercial buildings, the panels are typically installed using a series of aluminium rails. The rails allow for consistent and regular fixing to the roof structure and deliver a robust and streamlined way for panels to be installed.
As homes and businesses choose solar to improve their carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption, it is important to consider the full life cycle of the solution. While considerable research has been done into the payback period, life cycle and emission offset for solar panels, you would rarey ever see news coverage about the impact of the many thousands of kilometres of aluminium solar rails spanning the roofs of Australian homes and businesses.
When it comes to solar and environmental sustainability, credentials matter. That’s why Australian-manufactured Mill Finish aluminium solar rails are fast becoming a material of choice for Australia’s expanding solar industry.
Locally manufactured Mill Finish aluminium solar rails provide a more sustainable and economical solution for the Australian solar industry. The entire life cycle analysis is impacted positively, with reduced energy consumption in the manufacturing process. Meanwhile the environmental footprint is further improved with the reduction of carbon emissions by not anodising the solar rail extrusion. Additionally, the sourcing of locally manufactured Mill Finish aluminium extrusions further reduces carbon dioxide emissions, by minimising the impact of sea and road freight. If your business is in the solar industry, your environmental and sustainability credentials matter.
Traditionally, anodised aluminium has been the default choice for installing aluminium solar rails, however research undertaken by Capral demonstrates that this additional finishing process is unnecessary for the use of aluminium in this application.
Michael O’Keefe, General Manager – Marketing and Technology Solutions at Capral, comments: “For years the solar industry has been choosing anodised solar rails, often imported, for use in Australian solar panel installations. We wanted to investigate how we could reduce the carbon footprint of the aluminium used by this sector and quickly came to realise the anodising process was not adding any value to the end product but was certainly increasing the energy consumption and waste implications of the product.”
Partnering with Clenergy and The Solar Cutters – who with their ‘Cutter Rail’ brand are specialists in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of solar mounting gear – Capral has worked hard to demonstrate that Australian-manufactured Mill Finish solar rails offer a more sustainable and economical solution for Australia’s rapidly expanding solar industry. Cutter Rail is part of the PVezRack series from Clenergy.
The energy required to produce anodised solar rails is around seven times that to produce Mill Finish solar rails. Life cycle analysis of Mill Finish aluminium reveals dramatically reduced energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, toxic waste and water consumption when compared to anodised versions. Best of all, this eco-friendliness doesn’t come at the expense of quality, with the product delivering impressive performance. Morever, because Mill Finish solar rails can be rapidly sourced locally, the environmental footprint from supply and transportation is even further reduced.