Month: January 2021

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Five Reasons Remote Technology Makes Sense

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PowerMag – The case for advanced analytics and remote diagnostics: During the last 25 years significant advancements have been made in remote monitoring capabilities for power plants. A number of operations and maintenance (O&M) functions can routinely be managed remotely, and it is also becoming more common for peaking and renewable energy plants to be remotely operated reliably and safely.

Operating and maintaining a full-scale power plant remotely presents challenges that require sophisticated systems, reliable sensor and diagnostic equipment, stable high-bandwidth communication, and advanced security protocols. Even with progress made in each of these areas, some plant managers don’t foresee a scenario where remote operations will become the norm. But even in cases where there are no plans to run a generating station from a remote location, there is still a solid case for adopting remote technology.

Here are five reasons why the case for remote technology is stronger today than ever before.

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Importance of Electrical Construction Permit Inspections

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THE PERMIT AND INSPECTION PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT CODES, REGULATIONS, AND SAFETY ARE ENFORCED TO HELP PREVENT FAULTY OR POOR INSTALLATIONS THAT COULD JEOPARDIZE HUMAN LIFE. IN MOST CASES, ENGINEERING BLUEPRINT DRAWINGS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH THE PERMIT REQUEST WHICH MUST BE SEALED BY A REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER (PE). OTHER PERMITS WITH SEALED DRAWING PLANS ARE REQUIRED FOR EACH DISCIPLINE, SUCH AS, ARCHITECTURAL, CIVIL, ELECTRICAL, FIRE PROTECTION, MECHANICAL, PLUMBING, STRUCTURAL, ETC.

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Fast-Charging Electric Car Battery Could Replace Internal Combustion Engine

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Zenger – An Israeli startup has produced 1,000 extra-fast-charging electric car batteries that could be the future for automobiles.

StoreDot‘s XFC proprietary lithium-ion batteries can be charged up to full capacity in just five minutes, compared to 30 to 40 minutes for other electric car batteries, including those made by Tesla. If the company’s batteries can be mass-produced over the next three years, it could mean gameover for the internal combustion engine.

StoreDot replaces the graphite used in traditional lithium-ion batteries with germanium-based nanoparticles, into which ions can pass quickly and more easily. The company plans to transition to silicon, which is less expensive than germanium, next year to make the cost equal to lithium-ion batteries.

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State regulators fine Xcel Energy $1M over dispute with solar developers

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StarTribune – Minnesota utility regulators Thursday slapped Xcel Energy with a rare $1 million fine for a bevy of complaints over delays in connecting solar projects to the electricity grid.

Almost all of the roughly 120 complaints were filed by St. Paul-based All Energy Solar in 2019. A solar trade group said All Energy’s grievances reflect longstanding and costly interconnection problems with Xcel for the entire industry.

Minneapolis-based Xcel, the state’s largest electric utility, has acknowledged shortcomings. But it argues that the big batch of complaints should be rolled into one.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously disagreed with Xcel’s assertion but split on whether to immediately hit Xcel with the $1 million fine.

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Get Access to Free Online Electrical Engineering Calculator Tools at 3 Phase Associates

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Click the link here to access the free online electrical engineering calculator tools by 3 Phase Associates or click the individual tool below in order to perform basic electrical engineering calculations, like: transformer fault currents, short circuits, substation physical electrical clearances, voltage drop, power factor correction, motor full load, conductor ampacities, grounding, lighting design, solar power systems, etc.