Utilities have taken on climate change in a number of different ways. In Sacramento, Calif., the local utility has gone all electric. Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) All-Electric Smart Home project is part of...
What do we do when cyber attackers try to disrupt the nation’s power grid increasingly controlled by digital systems? Find more ways for humans to override the sophisticated systems and manually thwart attacks from becoming...
In 1994, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched its "Focus Four" initiative, targeting the top four safety hazards in construction: falls from heights, electrocution, crushing injuries (such as...
According to a new report from McKinsey & Co., a new trend in construction—modular construction—may completely change the way projects are designed and built and the role all the players in construction undertake during...
Renewable energy has achieved tremendous gains in recent years. Much of that growth can be attributable to government standards that require utilities to move away from fossil fuels. Many states have adopted renewable energy...
If the United States completely decarbonizes by 2030, it could cost north of $4.5 trillion, according to a Wood Mackenzie report . However, if the country chooses one of several alternative routes—including stretching the...
For electrical contractors involved in solar roof installations who think that the same Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety requirements apply to their workers that apply to roofers, a recent court...
To date, 29 states have legally binding renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) or policies that require electricity suppliers to source a certain portion of their electricity from renewable resources or related eligible...
A new proposed U.S. Department of Labor regulation related to apprenticeship programs has found proponents and opponents in various segments of the construction industry. A provision in the proposed rule would initially...
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, released last week , provides states with the flexibility to determine their own power generation supply sources, meaning fossil fuels can...
The surge in LED technology has ushered in a new era of efficiency in the lighting industry. All types of users have seen the savings. Even local governments are making the conversion. In 2018, the New York Power Authority...
According to the just-released ninth annual " Deloitte Resources 2019 Study ,” the knowledge gap between business customers and residential customers related to the benefits of clean energy is continuing to widen. While...
Technological innovation can be a blessing and a curse. For example, the increased penetration of renewable energy has created new challenges for grid operators. At the same time, big data can provide insight to help address...
The Massachusetts Associated General Contractors (AGC) has a strong commitment to reducing opioid abuse. Mike O'Brien, Massachusetts AGC's chairman of the board and vice president of Gilbane Building Co. wrote in a message on...
We are halfway through 2019. It has been a period of tariff talks, crippling floods and an elusive infrastructure bill. Have these events thrown the 2019 construction forecast off its axis? The short answer is no. Dodge Data...
Renewables have faced many challenges in their quest to penetrate mainstream energy markets. High costs and the whims of nature have always been the foremost among them. As renewable energy grows, add oversupply to the list....
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is sometimes thought of as an organization focused on the negative—always looking for what is going wrong in a workplace. But it’s with good reason the organization...
Legislatures in two states—Hawaii, and now Nevada—have determined, if the states impose mandates for utilities to increase their use of renewable energy sources, the states should also allow utilities to implement alternative...
According to the 2019 Summer Reliability Assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), projected electric grid resources are at or above the levels needed to satisfy summer peak demand until anticipated...
For electrical contractors working on energy storage projects of all sizes, a new report offers some good news. According to the latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report , published by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and...
