ALUMINIUM has very wide and varied field of application ( space, aircraft, vehicle, electric, building, packaging, electronic, kitchen etc..) due to its properties and lightness,it is named the METAL of the CENTURY.
In the year 1807 Sir Humphrey Davy attempted to isolate aluminium electrolytically, but was unsuccessful.
In the year 1812 a body of aluminium ore was discovered at Les Baux, France. Henceforth, all ores of aluminium, no matter what their composition or where located, are called bauxite.
In the year 1825, H.C. Oerstedt succeeded in producing small bits of metallic aluminium.
The researchs of F.Wohler (1845), H.S.C. Deville (1854), K.J.Meyer (1888) was issued by a patent of process. The present-day processes was conducted in France by Paul T. Herault, and in America by Charles Martin Hall (1892).
The first applications of the aluminium as conductor material in the electrification field are:
In the year 1895, stranded aluminium bare conductor for overhead lines in America and France.
In the year 1908, stranded steel reinforced aluminium bare conductor for overhead lines.
In the year 1910, underground lead sheated cable with paper insulated aluminium conductor at Boston and Ealing.
In the year 1912, aluminium bus bars in a ship named AQUITANA.
In the year 1917, aluminium transformer coils.
In the year 1920, aluminium squirrel-cage rotor.

The electric power generated by various energy as thermal (coal, fuel-oil, gas oil, natuaral gas, geothermal), hydraulic and nuclear, must be transmitted, often over long distance, and then distributed within a city, town or an industrial area.

Bare conductors, bus bars, insulated overhead cables and underground power cables and connectors are the main components of the electric power transmission and distribution systems.

The first aluminium overhead bare conductor was installed about 100 years ago. Today aluminium is widely used in all types of cables and overhead lines of the electrification system.

Until recently copper was the dominant conductor material for electric power transmission and distribution because of its good properties. It has high electrical conductivity, good workability and mechanical properties etc.

There are some powerful reasons because in numerous countries aluminium has taken the place of copper for main conductor material of all components of the transmision and distribution systems.

Aluminium is much lighter than copper. the density of aluminium is about 30 % of the copper. Especially in overhead line construction this factor is very important because heavy conductors lead to heavy and expensive pole structures. Handling and transportation of aluminium conductors and cables are also easier compared with heavy copper conductors and cables. The lightness of aluminium gives advantages in many ways

Aluminium is the most common metal in the earth surface - its amount is about 8 %. To day copper ores are limited and diminishing so the price of copper has been high and rising. The price of aluminium was low and rather steady state for years, (See Table below), but some rising can be noticed in it, too. Because of lightness of aluminium, the price of aluminium conductors and cables are clearly smaller than those of copper conductors and cables.

London Metal Exchage (LME)
yearly average price of Copper and Aluminium
( $ / metric ton)

Year	Aluminium $ / mton	Copper $ / mton
2002 (*)	1.339	1.548
2001	1.446	1.582
2000	1.539	1.815
1999	1.386	1.573
1998	1.358	1.661
1997	1.599	2.276
1996	1.507	2.302
1995	1.806	2.936
1994	1.477	2.307
1993	1.139	1.914

During the last 25 years the production and installation techniques have been developed a great deal, practical disadvantages in aluminium cable installation techniques have been eliminated.

Designing and installing aluminium conductors and insulated cables, including connectors, splices and termination, is no more difficult than with copper conductors provided, it is remembered that aluminium is a different metal than copper, both in its physical and mechanical properties.

In the next table there can be seen some physical properties of E-Cu copper and E-Al aluminium which are common materials for conductors and cables and also AlMgSi type aluminium alloy, which is used in some overhead conductors and cables.

described as above

Result : Aluminium conductor cross-section is 1,6 time bigger of Copper conductor cross-section for same length, same resistance and same voltage drop with copper conductor.

Result : Aluminium conductor weight is 0,5 time of Copper conductor weight for same length, same resistance and same voltage drop with copper conductor.

If we make the comparisons between copper and aluminium cables the values depend on size and construction of the cables.

For same length, same resistance and same voltage drop with copper conductor we need for same installation half weight of equivalent aluminium conductor and saves minimum 50 % if we accept that the price of aluminium same as copper.

There can be seen from LME(London Metal Exchange) prices of aluminium and copper that for more than 20 years, the price of copper is always higher than aluminium price. When the ratio of copper and aluminum prices is bigger than 1, the saving will be bigger than 50 %.