July 2010 Issue #1220

  • Strong Online Presence Provides Net Gain

    For a little more than 70 years, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)printed and mailed a newsletter to members on a regular basis. It served its purpose well, but NECA retired it in May 2009 because it simply could not do what its replacement does.

  • Builder Confidence Continued to Strengthen in May

    Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose for a second consecutive month in May to its highest level in more than two years, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI gained three points to 22 in May, its highest point since August 2007.

  • DOE Launches Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge

    With the sweeping changes planned for the nation’s generation and consumption of power, energy efficiency is considered to hold some of the greatest potential for a large-scale impact.

  • Construction Employment Declines in Most Metropolitan Areas

    Construction employment increased between April 2009 and 2010 in more metro areas (17) than at any point during the past 12 months, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. However, AGC officials noted that even though construction job losses were less widespread than in previous months, the industry is still shedding workers in most metropolitan areas.

  • Pulseclosing Technology Allowsfor Smarter Power Distribution

    As the electric grid develops to incorporate renewable generation, more robust transmission and smart meters, utilities are beginning to work on the final segment of delivery by automating their distribution networks. Despite incremental improvements, most of today’s power systems that run out from substations to customers use circa 1940’s technology, and approximately 80 percent of outages that occur in distribution are caused by storms, falling trees or mechanical failures. More than 90 percent of U.S. distribution lines have little or no automatic backup, so one failure event can cause outages miles away. Finding faults also is problematic, as this mostly relies on customer calls to identify the general fault location and boots on the ground to find it.

  • Senate Grants Grace Period to Small Contractors

    In an effort to assist small contractors who are struggling to comply with new Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lead paint abatement regulations, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment, authored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Collins’ amendment would prohibit the EPA from using funds in this bill to levy fines against contractors under its new lead paint abatement rule through Sept. 30, 2010.

  • Smart Grid Experiencing Growing Pains

    Smart Grid pilot and demonstration programs are underway in 33 states, according to a new report, “Smart Grid Growing Pains” from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. According to the report, utilities around the country face a number of challenges that need to be managed to ensure project costs are contained, cross-industry alliances are functional and customers are engaged.

  • Study to Enlighten Industry on Building Reuse

    While much research in recent years has explored the merits of constructing new green buildings, there’s relatively little data available on the economic and environmental benefits of building reuse. That soon will change thanks to a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Portland, Ore.-based Green Building Services; and Seattle-based Cascadia Green Building Council. The three groups are joining forces to design and execute a study that has the potential to reshape the way people think about the existing built environment.

  • ‘Floatavoltaics’ Generate Electricity and Solve Water Problems

    Some of the most interesting technological discoveries have been accidental, including one that began several years ago at the Far Niente winery in Napa Valley, Calif. SPG Solar, a major solar integration company, was asked to design a solar-power system to help provide electricity for the winery.

  • Brown University Reports Advance in Fuel-Cell Technology

    Creating catalysts that can operate efficiently and last a long time is a big barrier to taking fuel-cell technology from the lab bench to the assembly line. The precious metal platinum has been the choice for many researchers, but platinum has two major drawbacks: it is expensive, and it breaks down over time in fuel-cell reactions.

  • California State Assembly Passes Energy-Storage Bill

    The California State Assembly passed AB 2514, legislation that members hope will create a smarter electric grid, increase the use of renewable energy, save Californians money by avoiding the need to build new power plants, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants through the use of energy-storage technologies by utility companies.

  • Duke Energy Accepts $204 Million in ARRA Funds to Support Grid Modernization

    Duke Energy, an electric utility for the Southeast and Midwest, has finalized an agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) for $204 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to support smart grid projects in the company’s five-state service territory.

  • Gexpro Educating Contractors With Energy Summits

    Gexpro, Shelton, Conn., is holding “Energy Summits” across the United States to educate electrical contractors, facility managers, building owners and government buyers how best to achieve lower energy costs with green technologies. The sessions focus on the latest advancements in energy efficiencies, new green product solutions and services, and ways to benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), utility rebates and state government programs.

  • The EPA Announces Data Centers Can Now Earn Energy Star Label

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that stand-alone data centers and buildings that house large data centers can now earn the Energy Star label. To do so, data centers must be in the top 25 percent of their peers in energy efficiency according to the EPA’s energy performance scale. By improving efficiency, centers can save energy and money.

  • FCC Approves Frontier-Verizon Transaction

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the transfer of 4.8 million lines in primarily rural and smaller-city areas to Frontier Communications Corp. from Verizon Communications Inc. This transaction, which includes significant deployment commitments from Frontier, will help advance the goals of the National Broadband Plan by bringing broadband to millions of consumers, small businesses and anchor institutions in 14 states across the West, Midwest and South.

  • Worldwide Geothermal Gaining Steam

    Solar and wind power continue to grab the majority of headlines in the ongoing coverage of the growth of renewable power. Now, at least one other alternative-energy source has been quietly rising—literally and figuratively—in global use and awareness.

  • Distributed Generation Gets a Boost in Iowa

    While small-scale, customer-owned power generation could prove to be a vital launching pad for the renewable-power revolution, the lack of uniform standards has delayed liftoff with cloudy skies. At least one state has recognized this dilemma and taken steps to rectify it.

  • Survey Says Industrial Sector More Optimistic in 2010

    GlobalSpec—a specialized search engine, information resource, e-publishing and online events company for the engineering, industrial and technical communities—announced the availability of “2010 Economic Outlook Survey: How Industrial Companies Can Succeed in the Current Economy.

  • Infrastructure Development Legislation Proposed for Electric Vehicles

    The House and Senate unveiled legislation designed to advance the widescale development of the infrastructure needed to support deployment of electric vehicles. The bills each propose a path forward in which geographic areas would compete to be selected as electrification deployment communities—specific geographic areas in which a wide array of financial incentives are employed so that all of the elements of an electrified transportation system are deployed simultaneously.

  • The Use of Voice Over Internet Protocol Grows

    While most of the great, revolutionary benefits of the Internet have long since been recognized, there has been one holdout. Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) has never quite achieved a breakthrough into widespread adoption.

  • Walmart Foundation Launches Solar School Program

    The Walmart Foundation announced a $1.2 million donation to the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) to install solar panels on 20 schools in five U.S. cities. The five cities taking part in the program are Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Seattle and Washington, D.C.

  • Western States Can Handle Surge of Renewable Power

    With all the current hype -surrounding the development of renewable power, one looming question remains. The proverbial elephant in the room is whether existing infrastructure is adequate to transmit all of this newly generated electricity from solar, wind, biomass and other green sources.

  • OSHA Makes Changes to Existing Rules

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) planned some changes to rules that may affect electrical contractors and their employees.