The global mobile light tower market, valued at $1.9 billion in 2021, is expected to reach a $3.1 billion valuation by 2031. A September 2022 report published by Allied Market Research details the causes and trends leading to the expected 5.2% compound annual growth rate from 2022 to 2031.

An increase in infrastructure projects is the leading growth factor. Construction applications led the market growth, specifically the highway, railway and bridge construction segments. Mobile light towers are essential on construction sites that lack adequate lighting and for nighttime operations. In addition, using light towers on railway, highway, roadway, sewer, power and other infrastructure projects increases worker safety and productivity.

A mobile light tower uses an array of electric lamps affixed to the top of a mast. The tower is positioned on top of a trailer, allowing easy transportation from site to site. A generator at the back of the trailer illuminates the lights using diesel, solar, battery power or hybrid methods.

The global light tower market forecast was segmented based on power source, lighting type, technology, application and region. North America accounts for the largest mobile light tower market share, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Key findings of the study based on 2021 mobile light tower data include:

• Diesel accounted for the largest share of power sources.
• Metal halide was the leading lighting type used.
• The leading technology used was manual.
• Construction was the leading application for use of mobile light towers.

The surge in demand for mobile tower lights has prompted new product development. In 2021, for example, Generac Power Systems Inc., developed an all-in-one mobile lighting tower capable of operating with diesel, battery, hybrid, external power and solar energy as a single machine.

While the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic temporarily impacted mobile light tower market growth, the effect has subsided. Vaccine and distancing initiatives, supplemented by increased government infrastructure funding, have allowed once-halted construction operations to move forward.

The role of buildings in advancing clean and efficient energy technology has been well established.

Now buildings are getting smarter and are connecting to form their own communities that achieve even greater levels of energy innovation.

On Nov. 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) kicked off what it is referring to as a “new era for grid-efficient buildings.” The event marked the launch of the DOE’s Connected Communities cohort. This is a collaboration of nine projects, each of which were awarded funding by the DOE for their own innovation in connected energy-efficient buildings. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is acting as the national coordinator for this cohort.

The DOE’s Connected Communities is intended to drive innovation in building energy consumption by emphasizing how groups of buildings can work together to maximize the use of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar power, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, battery storage and other state-of-the-art technology.

The DOE defines a connected community as a group of grid-interactive efficient buildings with diverse, flexible end-use equipment and other DERs that work collectively to maximize building, community and grid efficiency while still meeting occupants’ needs and comforts.

Last year, the department issued a large funding opportunity announcement and selected projects that demonstrate how connected communities can serve as assets to the electrical grid. The cohort that was kicked off earlier this month represents a collaboration of the nine projects that were awarded funding. They will share information, challenges and best practices to achieve greater building energy efficiency through connectivity.

One example of an awarded project is The Ohio State University’s cybersecure orchestrated control of DERs across an array of diverse campus buildings.

Another cohort is the utility Portland General Electric that is working to achieve 1.4 megawatts (MW) of flexible loads by retrofitting nearly 600 commercial and residential buildings.

Similarly, in Spokane, Wash., Edo Energy is striving to achieve between 1 and 2.3 MW of flexible loads by retrofitting heat pumps, water heaters, control systems and other resources in an all-electric virtual power plant that will help defer capital investment for a 55-MW peak substation.

In Raleigh, N.C., IBACOS Inc. will connect hundreds of new and existing homes to solar power, battery storage and smart thermostats.

Harvesting wind energy is not new, but scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore designed a new device to harness and store it as electricity. This low-cost device, called a wind harvester, can transform energy from winds with a velocity as low as 2 meters per second (m/s).

Announced in a September 2022 article in the scientific journal Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, the device is currently capable of producing 3V and generating power of up to 290 microwatts, although lab test results indicate the harvester can power 40 LEDs consistently with a wind speed of just 4 m/s.

The harvester can also generate enough to power a commercial sensor and send the data to a mobile phone wirelessly or to a battery for storage, demonstrating that it can store enough excess charge to keep the device powered for an extended period, even without available wind.

At only 15 cm by 20 cm (or just under 6 inches by 8 inches), the small-sized harvester is easy to mount on the side of buildings. Scientists hope it will eventually replace batteries in the structural health monitoring sensors on buildings and bridges.

Made of fiber epoxy—a highly durable polymer—the device features a dynamic design that vibrates in the wind. Its plate, made of inexpensive materials like copper, aluminum foil and polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), vibrates during wind flow, causing charges to form on the film. As they flow from the aluminum foil to the copper film, an electrical current is generated.

Yang Yaowen, a professor in NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, led the project. One of the study’s purposes was to develop a device able to harness wind energy at low cost, with low wear and tear and requiring only occasional maintenance.

In addition, he said, “Our research aims to tackle the lack of a small-scale energy harvester for more targeted functions, such as to power smaller sensors and electronic devices.”

An added benefit of this harvester is that it could be an alternative to small lithium-ion batteries that use heavy metals, which can cause environmental issues if not properly disposed of. Widespread use of this not-yet-patented or commercialized device could reduce electronic waste.

“Wind energy is a source of renewable energy,” Yang said. In addition to being renewable, it is clean, producing no greenhouse gases or other pollutants as it generates electricity. “Our invention has been shown to effectively harness this sustainable source of energy to charge batteries and light LEDs, demonstrating its potential as an energy generator to power the next generation of electronics, which are smaller in size and require less power.”

NTU scientists continue their research to improve the energy storage functions of the harvester. As part of that research, they are experimenting with materials that might improve its output power.

Despite its growing popularity, solar power remains a luxury that, typically, only more affluent households can afford, due mostly to the high costs of installation.

However, recent statistics show that the technology is not completely exclusive. A greater share of lower-income households and neighborhoods are having rooftop panels installed.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released the latest edition of its annual report, Residential Solar-Adopter Income and Demographic Trends. This November 2022 edition, updated from its initial 2022 report released in February, is based on address-level data for 2.8 million residential households across the country that have installed solar on-site. The latest update includes data on systems installed through 2021.

The report reveals some unsurprising statistics. For example, the median income for solar adopters was $110,000. This is above the national average of $79,000, and confirms that households with solar are more likely to have above-average means.

However, a closer look at the results reveals that solar technology is not exclusively for the rich. Several statistics show that the average income is trending downward, indicating that solar is becoming more accessible to those in lower-income tiers.

For example, according to the report, the average household income of solar adopters in 2010 was $129,000. This represents a drop of almost $20,000 in 11 years.

Also, the median income figure reveals that while half of the nation’s households with solar have incomes above $110,000, an equal number have incomes below that level.

Looking at that lower half a little more closely, the report finds that roughly one-third of all households that installed solar in 2021 had incomes between $50,000 and $100,000. Another 15% of households had incomes below $50,000. The most well-represented income category was composed of those households with incomes between $75,000 and $100,000. They comprised roughly 18% of the total number of households that installed solar last year.

The report also finds that the share of the solar market in disadvantaged communities has been rising over time. According to Department of Energy figures, the percentage of residential solar installations in these communities has more than doubled from 5% in 2010 to 11% in 2021.

Lastly, the report finds that solar markets are also moving into less-affluent states. While roughly half of the nation’s solar adopters are in California, which is a relatively high-income state, the market for solar is growing in states like Texas and Florida, which are considered middle- and low-income states, respectively.

Research and development in the use of robotics in warehouse and industrial settings is gaining momentum, fueling impressive growth in the market sector.

“Warehouse Robotics Market,” a June 2022 report from Future Market Insights (FMI), reveals that the global warehouse robotics market is projected to reach a value of more than $9.5 billion by 2032. In 2022, the market was on pace to exceed $5 billion, rising at a notable 13% compound annual growth rate throughout the forecast period. Robotics leverage digital technologies and computerization with artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning to automate a host of operations.

“The market is likely to be driven by the growing trend of industrialization and the implementation of Industry 4.0,” according to the report.

Robotics services

Warehouse robotics are used in a variety of automated systems to bring greater efficiencies to processes in fulfillment, inventory and distribution. Different types of robotics, according to 6 River Systems, include automated guided vehicles for material and supply transport; automated storage and retrieval systems for inventory management; cobots, or collaborative robotics used to assist human personnel in performing tasks in the warehouse; articulated robotic arms that move products within warehouses; and goods-to-person systems that transport items to stationary pick stations.

Warehouse robots are applicable to many markets, including food and beverage, automotive, pharmaceuticals, electronics, construction, defense and oil and gas. Companies are investing huge dollars in research and development activities in the warehouse robotics market, especially in developed countries, for product innovation, more advanced automation and pursuit of quality production and manufacturing.

According to FMI, Amazon installed almost 15,000 robots in its U.S. warehouses to cut operations costs by one-fifth and meet increasing consumer demand. It used technology developed by Kiva Systems, a robotics company it would later purchase and rename Amazon Robotics. In October 2021, Amazon announced the opening of a new first-of-its-kind robotics manufacturing facility in Westborough, Mass. Amazon also unveiled plans to purchase iRobot in August 2022.

Market drivers and restraints

Important market drivers for the warehouse robotics market, according to FMI, include increasing demand of automation for time savings and cost reductions, increasing number of stock-keeping units, increasing demand and awareness toward quality and safety production, advancement in technology and increased use in various applications and industries such as food and beverage and electronics.

Some of the barriers cited in the report as potentially hampering the growth of the warehouse robotics market are the initial high adoption cost related to training and deployment, lack of awareness and difficulty in interacting with robots for some end-users.

The digital transformation and Industry 4.0 continue to revolutionize the way companies manufacture, improve and distribute products. Manufacturers are integrating new technologies, including internet of things, cloud computing, analytics, A.I. and machine learning into their production facilities and throughout their operations. That value proposition now includes robotics, for specific tasks and lessening the overall cost burden on the end-user.

With inclusion becoming increasingly important to consumers, companies have made an effort to recruit a more diverse workforce. The construction industry is making strides as there are now more women working in U.S. construction than ever before.

In August 2022, the number of women construction workers reached an all-time high of 14% of the entire industry. A November 2022 analysis by The Washington Post says that the number of women employed as construction workers has been on the rise since 2016, continuously increasing from 12.5% of the industry in August 2016 and spiking to 13.5% during the pandemic in April 2020. That year, one in every 10 construction workers was a woman, accounting for 1.2 million employees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By the end of 2021, the number of women across the entire industry reached 1,241,000. This number accounts for every role in the industry, including managerial and clerical positions, but The Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that 314,223 of these employees were construction tradeswomen.

The trend for women in overall construction is higher than in electrical construction. Responses collected in the 2022 Profile of the Electrical Contractor showed only 4% of respondents were women, consistent with the data from 2020, the last time the survey was conducted.

The largest increase in the construction industry comes from Hispanic women. This demographic grew by 117% over the past six years, per The Post’s analysis, which also found that most of this growth derived from work site positions and not back office roles.

One of the biggest factors leading to this increase is the pressing nationwide worker shortage. Overall, this has caused labor recruiters to look outside their usual hiring pool, according to a November 2022 Construction Dive report. On theme with diversifying the construction workforce, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Million Women in Construction initiative at a North American Building Trades Union conference in October. This initiative plans to continue to promote inclusivity by continuing to recruit more women into these high-paying construction trade roles.

“Right now, there are about one million women working in the construction industry,” Raimondo said. “I’m here to tell you that together we are going to double that over the next decade to create opportunity for another million women.”