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Around the Circuit
Districts See
Decrease in Homebuilding
Only two Federal Reserve districts -- New York and
Minneapolis -- reported steady and firm growth in the latest "Beige
Book." Most districts experienced only modest or moderate expansion,
and
many saw a decrease in homebuilding. Residential construction remained
slow in most areas of Minneapolis, Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, and St.
Louis
districts, whereas commercial construction increased throughout most
districts. Backlogs in the Atlanta and Cleveland districts were equal
to
or greater than last year. In Chicago, nonresidential construction
remained steady compared to a year ago. The Richmond, Va., district
reported
little change in new commercial construction. Heavy building increased
in the Minneapolis district, and commercial and public construction
activity increased in the San Francisco district.
ADVERTISEMENT
 AEMC New Ground Resistance Testers
AEMC's new rugged Digital Ground Resistance Tester with automatic
calculation of test results, Model 6470, performs grounding resistance,
earth coupling measurement, soil resistivity, and bonding tests. This
easy-to-use and accurate instrument measures up to 512 test results
that
can be stored in internal memory for later recall to the display or
downloaded to a PC for analysis and hard copy reports with automatic
fall of potential plots. www.aemc.com
Wind Power
Construction Grows 27%
Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association
(AWEA) reported in April that installed wind-generating capacity grew
27% in 2006. This increase was led by Texas, which surpassed California
as the state with the most capacity. Washington doubled its capacity,
moving up two spots to No. 5. Wind farms exist in 36 states, says a
report issued by the National Academy of Sciences. According to the
report, wind farms could generate 2% to 7% of the
nation's electricity within 15 years. On the heels of this report,
Denmark-based wind-turbine maker, Vestas, announced it will build a $60
million plant this spring in Windsor, Colo., to produce 1,200 wind
turbine blades per year.
WFU Researchers
Increase Efficiency of
Plastic Cells
Researchers at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest
University (WFU) have increased the efficiency of plastic solar cells
to
more than 6%, double the previous standard. The plastic solar cells
could make it easier and less expensive for consumers to use solar
energy for heat and electricity. According to the center, the increase
in efficiency came by creating "nano-filaments" within the plastic,
which allowed the researchers to create thicker solar cells that absorb
more sunlight. A solar cell uses that light to stimulate electrons
within the solar cell. The stimulated electrons generate an electrical
current, which can then be passed into calculators, car batteries, and
other devices through an external circuit. The technological advance
came after nearly four years of research.Plastic solar cells are
lighter and cheaper than traditional silicon solar panels. "Plastics
are
here," says David Carroll, director of the Center for Nanotechnology
and
Molecular Materials at WFU. "Plastics can do the same job that silicon
can do. You've now got a device that's good enough to start thinking
about a commercial product."
ADVERTISEMENT
 New Flip Clip from
Cooper B-Line
The fastest, most-inexpensive way to securely hang and level wire
basket
tray, saving installers time and money. The Flip Clip™
can be used with 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch threaded rods, eliminating the
need for multiple hanger sizes. The Flip Clip requires only one nut and
one tool for installation. www.cooperbline.com/flipclip
Web Exclusives
Business Brief
New Orleans-based Children's Hospital recently received
a $90,000 donation from New Orleans-based Nu-Lite Electrical
Wholesalers
as part of the company's Energizing New Orleans hurricane recovery
program. The gift will be used to purchase equipment and supplies for
the hospital's Kids First satellite clinics, which provide primary care
to children in underserved neighborhoods. Nu-Lite, an independent
electrical distributor, teamed up with several of its manufacturers to
create the recovery program, which is aimed at generating donations to
help New Orleans' local charities and institutions. Children's
Hospital's Uptown primary care facility received minimal damage during
Hurricane Katrina, but three of the hospital's five Kids First
satellite
clinics were severely damaged by flooding, and a fourth was heavily
damaged by wind and rain. "Children's Hospital does so much for a lot
of
people in our community," says Gary Corrales, Nu-Lite co-owner. "It's
always been a stalwart for New Orleans, and we wanted to help give back
to the city after this hurricane." For more business briefs, visit
the
EC&M Web
site.
ADVERTISEMENT
 Grounding Line Addition
ILSCO introduces a new line of cast bronze clamps with copper straps
for
grounding rigid conduit systems. The BGCS clamps have a ground wire
range of 3/0 to No. 10, a water pipe range of 1/2" to 1", and a conduit
hub
size range of 1/2" to 1". Two versions are available: one with a
saddle
for connecting the ground wire to the pipe and one without a saddle.
UL
listed and CSA certified. www.ilsco.com
Eye on Safety
PayneCrest Safety
Record Wins Awards
St. Louis-based PayneCrest Electric and Communications
recently won two awards from the American Subcontractors Association
(ASA) Midwest Council, St. Louis. The firm earned a Best MEP
Subcontractor award for an unprecedented fourth year and also received
the ASA Member Safety Award. On April 4, PayneCrest achieved its one
millionth consecutive workhour -- 582 consecutive days -- without
recording an injury reportable to the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA). "PayneCrest is the first company to win the Best
MEP Subcontractor four times, which speaks well of the consistency with
which it delivers excellence in construction services," says Reba
Gillick, ASA Midwest Council executive director. Judging criteria
for
Best MEP Subcontractor include bid ethics, safety policy and practices,
jobsite supervision, communications and project relations, scheduling
coordination, administrative procedures, and quality workmanship.
PayneCrest was recognized in the A tier of the awards program, for
contractors with annual revenue of more than $11.5 million, the largest
category in the field.
Shows and Events
2007 CSI Show &
Convention
Registration is now open for the 2007 Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI) 51st annual Show & Convention in
Baltimore, June 20-22. From implementing LEED to advances in security
technology to specifications that stand up in court, this professional
development event is an opportunity to delve into the industry's topics
under the leadership of industry experts. For more information, visit
the CSI Web
site.
EASA Convention
The 2007 EASA Convention is scheduled for June 24-27 in
Minneapolis. Education breakouts will discuss topics such as squirrel
cage rotor design, shaft and bearing currents, stator core repair and
testing, as well as seminars on improving your business strategies,
such
as marketing, profitability, and customer service. For more information
and to register, visit the EASA Web
site.
Don't Miss This FREE Live Session
Scheduled for May 17th in the
EC&M e-Tradeshow
- "Understanding Ground Resistance Testing" presented by John
Olobri, AEMC Instruments, 10:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific time
In today's rapidly changing world of technological advances, good
grounding is more important than ever to prevent costly damage and
downtime due to service interruptions and inoperative surge protection
caused by poor grounds. Attend this live conference and learn about
soil
resistivity, ground resistance, 3- and 4-point measurements, and
clamp-on measurements. This conference is a must for professional
engineers, plant/facility electrical maintenance technicians, and
electrical contractors and field technicians. Bring Your Questions!
Before and after the conference session, visit the many exhibitors
in
this virtual tradeshow and take a look at the On-Demand Theater, where
you can view past online webcasts 24/7/365.
Go to http://www.ecmweb.com/etradeshow/index.html
for
information on accessing the EC&M e-Tradeshow and attending this
FREE live event.
EC&M
Code
Change Conferences
Where do you turn when you need accurate information on
changes to the National Electrical Code? Acknowledged as the leaders in
providing information on the NEC, EC&M magazine and EC&M
Seminars have been the preferred sources of this information for more
than 60 years. Seven Code change conferences have been scheduled in the
fall of 2007. Host cities include: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Orlando,
Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle.
As an approved provider with the National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), through its Registered Continuing
Education provider Program (RCEPP), professional engineers attending
any
of our 2008 Code change conferences will receive Professional
Development Hours (PDHs), a requirement for re-licensing in many
states.
The conferences are also approved by every state that has a continuing
education requirement for contractors and electricians.
For additional information on the dates and locations of these
events, click
here.
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