Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Long, long ago … in a galaxy far, far away …

Well, it was really about 40 years ago and around 700 miles from where I'm sitting right now. Anyway, I was employed by a water softener company in northern Indiana. I roamed the highways and byways of the Indiana and northeastern Illinois countryside, installing and repairing softeners in farmhouses, spec homes, and rural domiciles.

When dimming technology first came to the mass market in the early 1960s, ambience-setting was a major motivator. With a simple turn of a dial, a brightly lit restaurant or home dining room could take on the appearance of a candlelit retreat. Then in the 1970s and 1980s, energy savings became a big sales driver, as lower light levels helped to drive down rising utility costs.

Across the street from my front porch sits a utility pole. The fuse for the transformer that feeds our part of the neighbor hood sits high atop it.

And at least once a month … our power would go out.

There’s no question the U.S. solar industry is growing by leaps and bounds. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the nation’s solar capacity was 2 gigawatts (GW) in 2012 – by the end of 2019, capacity topped 71 GW. Utility-scale solar arrays are a major market driver, with a record number of projects now under contract and waiting to be built.

At home, most hazardous or harsh conditions we face would be weather related. Rain and snow and sleet might be the worst, although temperature can be a factor as well.

However, in the industrial environment, hazards go way beyond that.

Recently, I was in a processing plant where they were upgrading the alarm system. This was a major overhaul that included more than just a fire alarm array. In fact, they were installing systems for fire, weather, and chemical emergencies.

Letting employees and other people know about impending danger is vitally important in today's work environment. You need to give them adequate warning to get to a safe place of refuge.