Contemporary innovation in the field of energy seems to be all about finding power in sources that are all around us, such as the sun and wind. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have taken that idea one step further having found a way to harness electricity from thin air.

More specifically, the scientists have developed a method to harness electricity from ambient magnetic fields generated by everyday household appliances.

Reporting in the journal “Energy and Environmental Science,” they note home devices, and especially the cords that supply electricity to them, generate small magnetic fields that otherwise dissipate into the air around them.

The scientists have developed a new mechanism capable of harvesting this wasted magnetic field energy and converting it into enough electricity to power next-generation sensor networks for smart buildings and factories.

One of the study’s co-authors, Shashank Priya, professor of materials science and engineering and associate vice president for research at Penn State, says the device he and his colleagues developed “allows for achieving high power density under low amplitude magnetic fields.”

He and his team designed paper-thin devices, about 11/2 inches long, that can be placed on or near appliances, lights or power cords. They used a composite structure by layering two different materials together. One of these materials is magnetostrictive, which converts a magnetic field into stress, and the other is piezoelectric, which converts stress, or vibrations, into an electric field. The combination allows the device to turn a magnetic field into an electric current.

The devices have a beam-like structure with one end clamped and the other free to vibrate in response to an applied magnetic field. A magnet mounted at the free end of the beam amplifies the movement and contributes toward a higher production of electricity.

In testing, when placed 4 inches from a space heater, the device produced enough electricity to power 180 LED arrays, and at 8 inches, enough to power a digital alarm clock.

According to the scientists, the technology has implications for the design of smart buildings, which will require self-powered wireless sensor networks to do things such as monitor energy and operational patterns and remotely control systems.

While electric utilities and renewable energy associations have noted the negative impact of the pandemic on employment, performance and supply chains in their industries, energy storage seems to be doing relatively well.

A new report released by the Energy Storage Association (ESA), “U.S. Energy Storage Association Survey Reveals COVID-19 Impacts on Storage Industry Revenue and Employment,” noted that, while 63% of respondents anticipated a decrease in revenue, only 33% of those expected a 20% or greater reduction; 75% did not expect to have to reduce employment at all. Of the 25% who did expect to have to reduce employment, most expected reductions of 20% or less.

The news is even better for those who implement and install storage projects, such as electrical contractors. Specifically, the report noted, “The manufacturing segment of the industry expected more widespread and deeper revenue reductions than the industry segment that includes developers and installers who implement storage projects.”

While other industries are currently experiencing or expecting downturns in the near future and beyond, this is not the case for the storage industry.

The report continued, “[It] is clear the energy storage industry expects a deep, albeit brief, revenue downturn this quarter. Most companies are focused on retaining their employees during this time in order to better prepare and respond once business returns.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the energy storage industry tremendously,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the ESA. “While we still anticipate year-over-year growth, it is clear our industry is suffering with immediate and significant risks of workforce reduction and economic damage.”

While the ESA is of course concerned with these short-term downturns for its own members directly, its real concern is how the pandemic will affect customers.

“These delays upend grid reliability and resilience efforts, just as we enter fire and hurricane season, and as states, towns, and utilities are beginning to incorporate energy storage systems as backup power to prevent power system disruptions for critical healthcare facilities,” Speakes-Backman said.

On April 23, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation released a special report, “Pandemic Preparedness and Operational Assessment: Spring 2020,” to update the nation’s electric utilities on the implications of the pandemic for its industry.

“The global health crisis has elevated the electric reliability risk profile due to potential workforce disruptions, supply chain interruptions, and increased cybersecurity threats,” said the report. “The electricity industry in North America is rising to the challenge, coordinating effectively with government partners, and taking aggressive steps to confront the threat to the reliability and security of the bulk power system.”

The report went on to add, “Nearly 400 million North Americans are dependent on a reliable power supply of electricity to support their way of life and the people, systems, and processes in place to support them during this unprecedented time.”

The report advised the industry during this pandemic to prepare for operations with a smaller workforce and other difficulties. The industry must also be aware of cybersecurity threats due to remote working that could lead to attacks on these new vectors.

The report outlined three timeframes for increased reliability risk profiles.

For spring 2020:

• No specific reliability issue identified
• Potential workforce disruptions
• Supply chain interruption
• Increased cybersecurity threat and monitoring
• Different system conditions, including lower demands and higher voltages
• System operators under sequester
• Noncritical staff are remote

For summer 2020:

• Continued potential for workforce disruptions and support service disruption
• Potential equipment and fuel supply chain disruptions
• Deferred generation maintenance and other factors impacting unit availability
• Generation in-service data

For the long-term:

• Potential changes to generation and transmission in-service dates
• Increased remote operation of non-critical staff
• Changes to pandemic preparedness and operating plans based on lessons learned.

May is National Electrical Safety Month

The theme for this year’s National Electrical Safety Month is Smart Home. In May, the Electrical Safety Foundation International will showcase resources focusing on the lifesaving devices that keep a home “smart and secure.”

“Having a smart home doesn’t mean you need a new home, you just need the right equipment to keep your family safe,” ESFI president Brett Brenner said in the announcement. “Smart homes let you save money and save time.”

The organization is providing videos such as “Smart Home: Safe, Secure, and Energy Efficient” and other informational materials to educate consumers on the devices that can meet their home’s electrical needs: ground-fault circuit interrupters, surge protective devices, arc-fault circuit interrupters and tamper resistant receptacles. These devices are all required in new or renovated homes according to the National Electrical Code.

National Safety Month Still Set for June

For June’s National Safety Month, the National Safety Council will focus on four weekly topics:

• June 1-7: Emergency Preparedness - “When a medical emergency occurs, time is of the essence. Knowing and performing first aid and CPR can drastically increase a victim’s chance of survival,” the organization said in its announcement.
• June 8-14: Driving - “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the workplace,” the NSC said. “Whether you drive for your job or just for your commute, responsible roadway habits can keep everyone safe.”
• June 15-21: Ergonomics - “Poor ergonomics can lead to overexertion, the leading cause of preventable workplace injury. Listening to your body and properly setting up your workstation can reduce your chance of injury.”
• June 22-30 - Employee Engagement - “Complacent employees may be unaware of the hazards around them. Getting employees engaged can improve an organization’s safety culture and performance.

Participating contractors will be able to receive informational materials to pass onto their workers and customers, including NSC’s “5-Minute Safety Talks,” weekly posters, videos, tip sheets, articles and social media graphics.

Construction Safety Week Postponed

Meanwhile, Construction Safety Week has been postponed until late summer or early fall, said Scott Cassels, national chairman of Safety Week and executive vice president at Kiewit Corp., Omaha, Nebraska.

“As the COVID-19 issue rapidly evolves and impacts our companies, the industry and many others globally, this decision was warranted,” Cassels said in the announcement. “Companies in our industry need to focus on the safety and security protocols that are best for their people and business continuity during this crisis. Safety Week is important, but there is time enough to bring our industry together once we have this serious issue controlled.”

In the meantime, the Construction Safety Week website will be periodically updated with pertinent safety information, training materials and best practices to keep operations safe.

“As an industry, we’ve improved our recordable frequency three-fold over the last decade because of this safety-first focus—and this is no time to lose that momentum,” Cassels said. “Let’s ensure we continue to improve by better planning safety into our operations, holding effective safety reviews and training with the men and women building our work, and supervising our operations with a keen eye on eliminating all risks and exposures that could cause an incident.”

“Nobody gets hurt is an outcome we owe to everyone who works on and near our projects and for our companies,” he said.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, NECA has postponed the 2020 NECA Safety Professionals Conference (NSPC), presented by WESTEX by Milliken, which was to take place in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 18–20.

The NSPC will now be held Oct. 5–7, in conjunction with the NECA Convention and Trade Show in Chicago.

“NECA recognizes all the hard work that so many contractors, chapters, exhibitors, speakers and staff have put into making the NSPC and all NECA conferences successful,” the organization said in a statement on the event website. “Given the developing circumstances, the association's main priority is to keep all of conference participants safe and sound.”

NECA also remains active supporting members and the industry at large with the latest COVID-19 materials and resources for those projects that continue to operate. 

“NECA recognizes the importance of continuing to host an event where NECA Safety Professionals can convene and accomplish important work,” said Michael Johnston, NECA’s executive director of standards and safety. 

The organization has worked with the Scottsdale McCormick Ranch to cancel reservations made within the NECA Safety Professionals Conference hotel block. 

NECA will process refunds for individual attendee registrations and exhibitors will be contacted directly.

Public support for solar power is strong and growing, but it’s not always strong enough to overcome the high upfront costs of installation. To help home and business owners make that initial investment towards utilizing solar power, Philadelphia re-opened its popular Solarize Philly program.

In April, Solarize Philly began accepting to new applications. The last phase closed in November 2019 after 2,068 signups. The program has helped 6,200 customers since its launch in 2017.

Program participants benefit from group-buying discounts and consumer protections. Installers are kicking off the new phase by providing free remote solar assessments.

The program is run by the Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA), an independent municipal authority chartered by the city in 2010 to provide targeted expertise and focus to city efforts to reduce energy consumption and expense.

The authority offers other financial incentives that are available to Solarize Philly participants. The Philadelphia Solar Rebate offers a one-time rebate incentive of 10 cents/watt to commercial and 20 cents/watt to residential projects. The rebate comes to about $1,000 for homeowners.

Fees generated by Solarize Philly also support the PEA's Solar Savings Grant Program, which provides grants plus financing to low- and moderate-income households to go solar at no upfront cost. Grants cover up to half the cost of the project, and utility bill savings start in the first year.

To participate in Solarize Philly, homeowners complete a sign-up form and are then connected to one of the city's approved installers. An installer will provide a free project proposal tailored to the home’s specific needs, based on roof space, electricity usage and other factors.

After the owner approves and signs a contract, the installer handles all permitting and engineering requirements and works with the local utility, PECO, to manage the interconnection process before the installation.

The city says Solarize Philly is also helping create jobs. Darell Clarke, city council president, said “of all energy projects, rooftop solar creates the most jobs per dollar invested.”

The PEA references a study conducted for the authority by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, which found that 15 living wage jobs are created for every 100 solar installations. PEA also leads Bright Solar Futures, a partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to establish Pennsylvania’s first vocational solar program for high school students.

Is the fire alarm too loud? If you’ve ever been asked this question, you may have wondered whether the questioner had a point or not.

First I reviewed the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed horn available on the market today. Currently, the standard commercial horn sounds at a measured decibel output (by UL) in the ranges of 87 dBA to 95 dBA measured at 10 feet from the sound source in the UL anechoic chamber (no reverberation). All of these appliances sound at a frequency of approximately 3,000 Hertz (Hz).

Based on research over the last 10 years, the very young and the very old have difficulty hearing that frequency level. That research also showed that hearing a fire alarm signal at 520 Hz was equally heard by the very young, the very old and those who needed awakening at night. Based on that research, the code changed the requirements for audible alarm appliances in all sleeping rooms to be at that frequency.

Keep in mind the requirement for audibility in these areas remains at 75 dBA measured at the pillow level in the bedroom. To awaken occupants the audible appliances must produce a low frequency alarm signal that complies with the 520 Hz requirement. The Annex A information also provides guidance for areas “intended for sleeping and in areas that might reasonably be used for sleeping. For example, this section requires a low frequency audible signal in a bedroom of an apartment and also in the living room area of an apartment as it might have sleeping occupants.”

The annex does advise us that it is not required to use the low frequency signal in the hallways, lobby and other tenantless spaces. For example, in hotels, the guestrooms would require use of the low-frequency signals, but other spaces that might require audible signals could use any listed audible appliances regardless of the frequency content of the signal.

The code requires a minimum of 15 dBA above the ambient sound levels present in the space. The bottom line is the audible signals are not too loud but must be loud enough to move the occupants to take action.

Still you may come across customers who are concerned that the volume of an alarm could negatively affect their hearing. For example, I have been asked by a principal of a K-12 school what her response should be to parents who are worried the alarm signal is so loud it will injure children’s hearing.

To answer the principal’s questions, first I turned to the information provided in the annex of NFPA 72-2019, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. Annex A for Section 18.4.1.2 discusses the maximum sound pressure level of 110 decibels (dBA) permitted in a space. In the 2007 edition, this was reduced from 120 dBA in previous editions.

According to NFPA 72, “the change from 120 dBA to 110 dBA was made to coordinate with other laws, codes, and standards. In addition to the danger of exposure to a high sound level, long-term exposure to lower levels could also be a problem.”

For example, when occupants must traverse long egress paths to exit or technicians test large systems over extended time, the exposure to loud alarm signals could cause damage to their hearing.

The issue is the code is silent on how long a person can or should be exposed to an audible notification system. The limit of 110 dBA has been set as a reasonable upper limit by the code for the optimal performance of a system.

The annex goes on to say, “For workers who could be exposed to high sound levels over the course of a 40-year employment history, OSHA has established a maximum permitted dose before a hearing conservation program must be implemented. A worker exposed to 120 dBA for 7.5 minutes a day for 40 years might be in danger of suffering a hearing impairment. The OSHA regulation includes a formula to calculate a dose for situations where a person is exposed to different sound levels for different periods of time. The maximum permitted by the regulation is an 8-hour equivalent dose of 90 dBA. It is possible to calculate the dose a person experiences when traversing an egress path where the sound pressure level varies as he/she passes close to, then away from, audible appliances. Table A.18.4.1.2 depicts OSHA permissible noise exposures.”

I used the above information to assure the principal that the short duration of the students’ exposure to the alarm signal was not going to cause hearing damage. In addition, the sound pressure levels in the hallways of her school did not come close the maximum of 110 dBA allowed by the code.

All in all, you can tell your customers that alarm systems are loud by design. The uncomfortable volume during egress should be short-lived and well worth it to help as many occupants as possible be spared more serious injury or harm. 

According to a new report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program is allowing construction firms to add and retain employees, despite declining demand for work.

“A large share of construction firms promptly received loans funds under the Paycheck Protection Program, enabling many of them to hire or retain employees despite a surge in project cancellations,” according to the report.

AGC noted that the job-saving measure appeared to be working, but it cautioned that longer term recovery measures, such as new infrastructure funding and establishing a recovery fund, are needed.

“Most contractors report they have applied for the new federal loans, which are intended to enable small businesses to keep employees on their payrolls,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “This program has already delivered funds to nearly half of the survey respondents, and many of them have already brought back furloughed workers or added employees, even though more clients are halting and canceling projects.”

Simonson noted specifically that 44% of the 849 firms responding to the survey reported having already received funds, which began on April 3. Another 15% said their applications had been approved, but they had not yet received funding. Another 8% were awaiting a reply to their applications, and 7% had applied, but were told that no more funds were available.

Partly because of the loans, 13% of respondents said they had added workers.

“Although the loan program has helped, it will cover only a limited part of company expenses and is not enough to offset the huge drop in projects,” Simonson said.

He noted that half of the respondents reported clients have ordered halts to projects that were already underway, and more than 25% reported that clients have canceled projects that had been expected to start as far out as June, or even later.

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 1 has sweeping implications for electric utilities across the nation. Namely placing restrictions on the foreign-supplied components installed on the nation’s electric grid in the name of national security.

The report states, “The bulk power system is a target of those seeking to commit malicious acts against the United States and its people, including malicious cyber activities, because a successful attack on our bulk power system would present significant risks to our economy, human health and safety, and would render the United States less capable of acting in defense of itself and its allies.”

The first section of the executive order is designed to limit the use of foreign-supplied components installed on the nation’s electric grid in the future, declaring that not creating these limits would pose an “extraordinary threat to national security.”

The concern is purchasing and installing components from certain countries that are considered adversaries of the United States, including those that have made attempts in the past to hack into the nation’s electric grid, could put the nation’s grid at risk. For example, one fear is that foreign governments could embed certain pieces of technology in the components they sold to U.S. utilities that would adversely impact the grid or provide private information back to these adversarial nations.

The second section of the executive order, among other things, lays out a plan for potentially requiring utilities to replace these foreign-supplied components with components deemed safer. Specifically, the order directs the U.S. Secretary of Energy to “develop recommendations on ways to identify, isolate, monitor, or replace such items as soon as practicable, taking into consideration overall risk to the bulk-power system.”

The third section of the executive order establishes a task force on Federal Energy Infrastructure Procurement Policies Related to National Security, which will be expected to “develop a recommended consistent set of energy infrastructure procurement policies and procedures for agencies, to the extent consistent with law, to ensure that national security considerations are fully integrated across the Federal Government and submit such recommendations to the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council.”

The task force will also have authorization to evaluate the methods and criteria used to incorporate national security considerations into physical security and cybersecurity policymaking.

Renewables are gaining ground in places where fossil fuels have been the backbone of the economy. Now, even in Virginia, coal is not the only game in town.

Last month, Salt Lake City-based sPower, a renewable energy Independent Power Producer, announced that it closed on a multi-million tax equity commitment for a major photovoltaic development project in Spotsylvania County, Va. The company describes it as “the largest solar project east of the Rockies.”

The Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center is a 620-megawatt DC solar project located in the western part of the county. The project site consists of three noncontiguous boundaries that encompass approximately 6,350 acres. Of those acres, approximately 3,500 acres will be developed into the solar project, and at least 2,000 acres will be preserved as undeveloped, conserved land.

The company boasts that, in addition to the greenhouse gas emissions it will eliminate, the project will generate an estimated 700 new jobs during the construction phase and approximately 20–25 full-time positions during operations.

The project is currently under construction, with phases coming online this year and through project completion, which is expected in the summer of 2021.

The solar center got a major boost in April when sPower closed on a $350 million tax equity commitment from Wells Fargo’s Renewable Energy & Environmental Finance group. The commitment allows Wells Fargo to benefit from the solar tax incentives in exchange for its investment in the project.

The timing is also fortuitous. The announcement comes on the heels of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signing the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which puts the state on a path to 100% green energy over the next thirty years.