Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

The most visible element of a rooftop solar system is, obviously, the panels. And, where I live in New England, I’m seeing more and more of those glossy- or matte-black units topping the homes around me, helping to power more of the local load with green energy while also pushing down their owners’ monthly utility bill.

Designing industrial facilities is rarely a paint-by-numbers effort because each plant faces unique considerations, based on what it’s producing and the resulting safety and power requirements. That means power distribution equipment also needs to be custom designed.

When working as an electrician in a processing plant, I was often called in to work on renovations, new area construction, and emergency repair scenarios. Often there wasn’t permanent power available, so temporary power using extension cords was necessary to power up tools and equipment for the job.

Switchboards are critical to the dependability of any electrical power installation because they represent that pivotal point at which incoming power supply is divided into separate circuits, controlled and protected by fuses and switchgear, metered, and then divided into a number of functional units for its given applications. In general, switchboards distribute power to transformers, panelboards, control equipment, and to system loads.