Due to the rapid expansion of data centers, the electrification of HVAC/manufacturing processes and the build out of electric vehicle infrastructure, the electrical consumption for the United States is forecast to grow more than 25% by 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Infrastructure Administration (EIA). This is in stark contrast compared to 2000 through 2020, when electrical demand across the United States barely increased.
The situation in Texas is even more dramatic, where the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is forecasting a near doubling of demand from 85GW to 150GW by 2030. The biggest contributors to this increase are oil and gas operators electrifying their Permian Basin operations and the impending boom in Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers, which will consume significantly more power relative to traditional data centers.
Texas already consumes more electricity than any other U.S. state and the grid faces additional challenges related to extreme heat and weather events. On one side, excessive summer temperatures led to 11 statewide requests for energy consumption last year. On the other side, a series of February 2021 winter storms crippled the Texas grid, resulting in the loss of power to 4.5 million homes and 246 deaths across 77 counties.
In response to this forecasted demand increase, the Texas Energy Fund recently doubled its allocation to $10 billion, offering 3% interest loans to fund the construction of gas-fueled power plants. They are also offering further incentives to companies that connect these plants to the main Texas grid by 2029. Furthermore, ERCOT expects to strengthen the Texas grid through the deployment of massive banks of batteries, increasing the grid energy storage capacity from 5.1GW to 11GW through 2024. To date, there has not been as much public focus on downstream distribution equipment investment relative to power generation and upstream transmission.
Both switchgear and transformer manufacturers have ramped up capacity in response to this rapid expansion in demand, but complex supply chains several levels deep have struggled to increase output at the pace of demand growth, leading to excessive lead times. Long wait times are now the norm with no signs of easing. Currently, lead times for medium voltage switchgear are at more than 52 weeks and utility scale transformers at more than two years on average.
As the lead times and equipment challenges persist, they highlight a broader issue affecting the entire U.S. power grid. With growing electrical demand driven by new industries and heightened electrification efforts, the nation's aging infrastructure is experiencing increased strain, creating vulnerabilities for power equipment across the country.
The limited inventory of parts, along with aging infrastructure, poses risks to critical systems that power vital networks, such as hospitals, communication networks, water and waste management and even military bases.
The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that the average age of transformers in use is 38 years - approaching the end of their expected lifespan - with 70% older than 25 years.
In light of the scarcity of new equipment, refurbishing and maintaining existing transformers has become crucial. Restoring and updating these components, including their exterior protection with high-quality industrial coatings, can help to address the growing demand.
Although it might seem inconvenient to update coatings systems that have not yet failed, now may be an ideal time for manufacturers to reassess their protective technologies and consider newer, more effective solutions before a more widespread problem occurs.
A key part of this process is fortifying the exterior durability, including sanding, priming and painting with a resilient industrial coating engineered to defend against corrosion. This is important because outdated coatings systems may not be as durable, particularly under harsh weather conditions. This vulnerability can lead to power service disruptions and equipment failures, which can be life-threatening, particularly in the current climate with rising temperatures worldwide.
Corrosion protection for the future of power
When it comes to the metal components on a transformer, corrosion is public enemy number one.
Metal electrical equipment parts corrode for any number of reasons. Some factors include the intersection of two metals with different corrosion thresholds, continuous or repeated exposure to high temperatures and humidity from decades in the field, damaging pH (acid) levels, electrolytes, chemicals and ultraviolet rays from sunlight.
Selecting the proper coating materials to help preserve power generators, transformers, switchgear and more is the first line of defense. The right coating system that offers durability and resilience at every layer of protection - from pretreatment through finish coat - can extend the service life of the part and reduce the risk of coatings-related equipment failures.
Reevaluating paint specifications for longevity
While most electrical equipment has a minimum life expectancy of 20 years, many components are expected to survive 50 years or more. Harsh elements can accelerate corrosion and leave sensitive instrumentation vulnerable and potentially unreliable.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers still combine old "cut-and-paste" specifications that date back 20 to 30 years with current industry-standard regulatory requirements written by IEEE, UL, CSA and ASTM when painting and protecting new equipment.
On average, finished electrical components are composed of about 70% metal and 30% non-metal substrates, yet nearly 100% of electrical equipment manufacturers view painting metal as beyond their core competency. An average-sized switchgear manufacturer running 10- to 15-million square feet of coated metal through its facility is staking a lot of its reputation on work considered outside of their scope.
If the goal of an electrical equipment manufacturer is to build next-generation components that exceed performance mandates while protecting its brand reputation, paint specifications should be reviewed and updated regularly.
In addition to product scope and substrate type, manufacturers should consider the following when developing their specifications:
Key performance tests to ensure reliability of coatings systems
While many coatings systems are sufficiently robust to pass industry-accepted performance tests, they can fail in the field because the real-world conditions are often more challenging.
For that reason, it is critical to include the tests that most accurately reflect a product's ability to fulfill a warranty or an expected service life in the paint specification. For example, does a specific impact test predict paint chipping once installed in the field? Or does an accelerated weathering test depict the real-world color fade or breakdown of a coating?
Performance testing must also correspond to field troubleshooting. If a coating fails in the field, correlating the failure to a specific testing method will enable the equipment and paint manufacturers to identify the reason for the failure, which can lead to quicker corrective actions.
Some of the most common performance tests written into an electrical equipment paint specification are detailed below:
Other tests that are occasionally used and built into specifications for electrical equipment include:
There also are many types of chemical tests, including an insulating fluids test to determine a coating system's ability to resist exposure to certain types of chemicals.
Optimizing coating technology
Is your current coating technology utilizing the latest coatings advancements and the most sustainable options?
Liquid coatings use solvents or water and are applied to pretreated metal with electrostatic spray, dipping and other conventional methods before being air-dried or force-cured.
When used as part of an integrated primer, pretreatment and topcoat system, liquid coatings offer exceptional resistance to corrosion and chemicals, excellent sag resistance and strong adhesion. The newer product offerings in waterborne liquid technologies can offer a more sustainable option as part of an integrated coating layer.
Powder coatings are formulated for applications that require the ultimate combination of corrosion resistance, weathering performance and operational attributes. These coatings are typically formulated with specific resins combined to provide excellent corrosion and chemical resistance, as well as all-around application versatility.
Since powder coatings are made without solvents, they generate virtually no volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, which can help to achieve environmental compliance and reduce material usage, energy consumption and maintenance costs thanks to a first-pass transfer rate of up to 85%.
Breakthrough in zinc-rich powder primer protection
Due to their advantages in sustainability, edge coverage and durability, powder technologies are growing in global prominence, including zinc-rich powder primers. While zinc is renowned for its corrosive fighting properties, its density poses challenges during application.
Recently, scientists achieved a breakthrough by formulating a zinc-rich primer with optimized zinc content. This patent-pending innovation boasts higher transfer efficiency, thanks to its lower specific gravity compared to standard zinc-rich primers (2.0 vs. 3.6). The reduced density makes it easier to apply, achieving an impressive 85% transfer efficiency. Although it contains less zinc by volume than traditional zinc-rich primers, it meets rigorous ISO C5 corrosivity standards, making it suitable for high-humidity and aggressive environments.
This well-balanced primer offers exceptional edge, face and scribe corrosion resistance, semi-conductivity and excellent adhesion on both smooth and blasted steel. Its robust bond withstands peeling, chipping and degradation. In lab testing, the primer even surpassed 10,000 hours of salt spray performance on blasted steel.
Key takeaways
When creating a paint specification, it is critical to correlate a component's expected operating environment and service life to the testing methodology that most rigorously replicates the performance challenges it will face. Not only will this help to ensure that a product performs reliably throughout its lifetime; but it may also lessen overall maintenance requirements.
Equipment manufacturers should evaluate their paint specifications on a regular schedule to ensure that they always incorporate the most targeted and technologically advanced coating systems and testing methodologies for their specific application.
They may also want to consider partnering with paint and pretreatment suppliers in the design process as early as possible, preferably with a proven coatings company that can offer both pretreatment and paint capabilities as an integrated package.
Integrated, full-service coatings suppliers typically have a deep understanding of the coatings process from start to finish, along with a wide range of products and resin chemistries that have been tested according to industry-standard criteria.
These coatings suppliers can act as partners in identifying potential vulnerabilities to corrosion and help customers to select the best products to prevent it. Most integrated coatings suppliers also have dedicated lab resources so they can recommend the best test methodologies to measure a product's potential service life and troubleshoot general coatings-related production problems.