Electical Contractor

Fuel cells are an evolving technology and a current new market for the electrical contractor (EC). As a result of research and development, fuel cells have become feasible to implement with greater capacity, reduced costs, increased reliability and improved efficiency.

From microwave ovens to Humvees, the military has a long history of developing and fine-tuning new technologies that later become accessible to the general public. To be sure, some have flopped while others have become household necessities.

From the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Seaboard coastline, experts remind us of the annual threats from the hurricanes. The headlines scream, “Prepare for the storm.” We scrutinized numerous checklists on important steps to protect your home, family, and business in the event of a natural disaster.

While preparing a presentation, I noticed a photo taken at a facility where temporary power was needed periodically. The facility rented a generator when necessary. It showed a disconnecting means with four individual conductors stubbed out of the bottom of the enclosure.

According to USA Today, a new type of sodium-sulfur-based (NaS) battery is looking to revolutionize the world of power storage. These batteries have a life span of about 15 years and take up only a fraction of the space used by traditional lead-acid batteries.

Who Really Needs One? Simply put, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that provides battery backup when the electrical power falls to unacceptable voltage levels.

Backup power for commercial/industrial/institutional (CII) facilities

An energy transition with the potential to revolutionize the country's infrastructure is gaining momentum. It is not brokered through expanded power grids or traditional fossil-based economics-it is powered through fuel cells. Fuel cell development is on the upswing.

As the Great Blackout of 2003 rolled through the Northeast and Midwest, a lot of people were left in the dark. But the blackout turned on the lights for a group of National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA) member contractors in Michigan. They saw the blackout as opportunity knocking.