Electical Contractor

You have seen them: tall, gangling, steel structures-known as high-tension lines-that transport hundreds of kilovolts. These rights-of-way are used to safely move transmission-level bulk power from the generators to the distribution substations.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules convert sunlight directly into electrical energy. Integrating PV into a building will impact its operation. Not only will the PV system produce electric energy to serve building loads but it can also reduce the building's electric demand and air-conditioning heat load.

Last month's article touched briefly on the two of the most important laws in power-quality analysis and seemed to have generated enough questions that a more in-depth discussion might be warranted.

Article 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations Article 210 Branch Circuits Article 230 Services Article 240 Overcurrent Protection Article 300 Wiring Methods Article 342 Intermediate Metal Conduit: Type IMC Article 352 Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit: Type RNC Article 408 Switchboards and Panelboar

Ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection for personnel or a similar protection technique has been in the National Electrical Code (NEC) since 1962 with specific reference to GFCI and its definition found in the 1968 NEC.

I just returned from chairing the Report on Proposals (ROP) meeting for the NFPA 70B Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance Committee, where we reviewed, debated, commented and voted on more than 150 proposed revisions to the 2002 edition for the next edition.

Grounding electrodes are required to be installed and connected to electrical services and to some feeders or branch circuits in separate buildings remotely located from the service.

If your firm does telecomm work, this is worth reading. Although it has been talked about for several decades, modulated radio frequency communications over power lines never really took off because there were difficult technical challenges and no cost-effective solutions. No more.

The electrical contractor's job on a typical construction project goes beyond the scope of traditional electrical installations. It's a two-part responsibility that includes the construction or renovation of electrical systems for the structure.