Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Winter will some day be over (it snowed here today… in Arkansas!) And undoubtedly some of us will be slathering on the SPF-whatever to protect us from the sun’s rays. Did you know that Old Sol is about 5,000 degrees on the surface?

Living in a semi-rural location where the closes mall is a half-hour drive away – and is often lacking in choice – I end up doing a lot of shopping online, and some recent statistics prove I’m not alone. In 2023, on Cyber Monday, alone, U.S. consumers spent $12 billion on their holiday shopping, making Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history.

It’s not unusual that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems would require fuses – after all, these installations can carry substantial electrical loads, so overcurrent protection is critical to their safe operation. What is remarkable, though, are the conditions under which PV panels, their conductors, and their wiring can operate.

Up until three years ago, I lived with a couple small boxes of spare fuses that sat on top of the water heater in the basement, ready to be drawn from should the rare combination of, say, the toaster and microwave operating at the same time happen to shut down power to the kitchen.

In a world where electrical efficiency and streamlined design are of primary concern, the mini power center is quickly becoming a staple piece of equipment for electricians, general contractors, and electrical industry experts. It's small, it's powerful, and it's reshaping the way we manage electricity, on the jobsite and in the facilities we serve.

During the Industrial Revolution, which started in the 18th century, the origins of automation emerged, leading to significant technological change. This era introduced the use of mechanized equipment, such as the steam engine and the spinning jenny, revolutionizing the manufacturing process by reducing the reliance on manual labor. These advancements laid the foundation for what we now know as automation.