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.

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.

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.

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.