Stored electrical energy will eventually be a regular part of every electrical contractor's conversation. The subject is driven by the push to find sustainable sources of electrical energy—from the sun, wind and other sources...
ne of the many changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic was the shift to medical care outside the doctor’s office. A movement that started with devices connected to a router is evolving toward a networked system that follows...
The potential benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) extend beyond making combustion engines obsolete. The battery technology that powers EVs can also be deployed as a storage asset, delivering power back to the grid and...
“It never rains in California,” sang Albert Hammond in 1972. Such words may explain why some 4,000 miles of canals throughout California are needed to help supply water in a state known for its agricultural industry, which...
A century ago, the industry changed when farming became mechanized. Another transformation is happening now as farms become digitized to make them more productive, sustainable and resilient in a changing climate. To ensure...
I closed the January year-in-review column with, “Like I say every year, it’s always good to invest in training.” High-tech fields such as fiber optics are always changing, and you have to keep up with technology or risk...
Imagine an apprentice wearing goggles, following the voice in their headsets as they learn about a new piece of equipment, which switch to push and what panels to remove—but it’s all virtual. Innovation in technology For...
“The market for smart home systems has exploded in recent years with smart TVs, smart thermostats, home security systems and energy monitoring systems,” said Paul Ryan, product line manager of connected solutions for Eaton...
Imagine a glass worktable, kitchen countertop, retail display or even an autonomous vehicle’s windshield that can supply power without all the cable spaghetti showing. Cohda Design Ltd. in Gateshead, England, has figured out...
Houses are being 3D-printed, and electrical contractors need to anticipate their role in this brave new world. The inevitable question that industry observers will ask is, “If building contractors can 3D-print entire houses...
“Everything’s up-to-date in Kansas City” goes the Broadway tune from “Oklahoma!” In terms of de-icing and snow-melting sidewalks in wintry cities, Kansas City, Mo., is beyond up-to-date. As snow fell on city streets in...
It’s a wireless world: our phones are mobile, we can take our laptops anywhere and building design programs are now tablet-accessible. Heavy data demands, however, can often make wireless less nimble. Think of slower service...
The need to solve the problem of intermittency when it comes to wind and solar electricity generation has led to a boom in battery-based energy storage that has continued unabated through the COVID-19 pandemic. But a...
Job sites of the future are going to be better connected, with more tasks taking place off-site, while on-site robotics will be taking some of the most mundane and hazardous tasks. Workers on site will learn to navigate and...
Technological sensors on roads and intersections gather more data and enable more intelligent responses to conditions than ever before. Increased numbers of motorists, aging infrastructure and the growing digitalization is...
Intuition is something that denies scientific explanation. It’s a feeling and an assumption of what may be coming next based on past experiences and human behavior. A computer vision technique unveiled by the Columbia...
While we are told about the need for a “smart grid,” we don’t hear as much about what’s actually being done to make it smarter. Advanced distribution management systems (ADMSs), a leading technology being explored at the...
The electric grid faces many challenges as renewables and other technologies transform energy generation, distribution and consumption. The growth of electric vehicles (EVs), for example, raises many questions about the grid...
Like the Energizer bunny himself, the quest to improve large-scale battery efficiency never winds down. The search for breakthrough materials has led to some surprising possibilities. A few years ago, researchers at the...
There is a market on the horizon expertly tailored for the electrical contractor. Welcome to the rebooted all-electric home, where “clean electricity” takes on a new meaning. Today’s “all-electric” homes represent a...
