Electricity Today T&D Magazine

A recent study that takes an in-depth look at the environmental performance of wood and steel utility poles challenges current perceptions on the sustainability advantages of wood poles when compared with steel poles.

The detailed study, titled “Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Southern Yellow Pine Wood and North American Galvanized Steel Utility Distribution Poles”, compares the use of galvanized steel and treated wood utility poles over a 40-year time frame. It includes basic environmental impacts usually omitted from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology such as land use, habitat disruption, loss of key species and the long-term effect on humans. The results shed new light on several longstanding assumptions and document steel’s overall superior environmental performance.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS
A life cycle assessment study measures a product’s impact on the environment from the time it is created through the end of its service life. This particular study was...