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Electrical Industry Canada and the Electrician Forum Need Your Expert Knowledge
As industry experts you know the products you use everyday better than anyone and should have input on what information you receive about products and what could improve them.
Therefore, we want your insight on the biggest challenges or issues you face when installing loadcentres, breakers (CAFI, GFI's…) and other surge protection devices. We ask that you do not provide product specific details but rather your general issues and concerns or any questions that have come to mind while working with these product types. Provide us with your valued expert insight into the issues you have faced so manufacturers can better inform you about the installation and use of these products. Lets generate some discussion that will help guide the Industry.
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The invisible impact of powerlines should never be underestimated. In the past decade alone, 19 people in Ontario have lost their lives from overhead powerline contact. May 13 to 19 is Powerline Safety Week, which is meant to inform people across the province to stay vigilant of powerlines when doing work at home or on the job.
"Our work in raising awareness of powerline safety won't be finished until there are zero injuries or lives lost from contact," says Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Public Safety Officer, Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). "All it takes is a misstep or careless error to change the life of you, your colleagues or family."
ABB has an extensive portfolio of eco-efficient solutions and services that can help decouple economic growth from environmental impacts. In fact, over half of ABB's worldwide revenues are generated by technologies that combat the causes of climate change. The company’s goal is to increase this contribution from 57 percent in 2018 to 60 percent by 2020.
The company’s commitment to combatting climate change includes limiting the environmental impact of its own operations. ABB’s current target for climate action is to reduce its own GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from a 2013 baseline.
Wind Energy On Track to Add 1,000 MW of New Capacity in 2019
Canada’s wind energy industry further expanded its installed capacity in 2018, while solidifying its status as the lowest-cost source of new electricity generation. Newly commissioned projects brought total national wind energy capacity to close to 13,000 megawatts (MW). Meanwhile, competitive auction results in Saskatchewan and Alberta confirmed the wind industry’s ability to continue to deliver record-low prices.
The six wind energy projects that were powered up in 2018 added 566 MW of installed capacity — a continuation of steady growth that contributed to an average annual growth rate of 20% per year since 2008.
Read more about Wind Energy...
Tools for the Trade
Researchers Develop New Flexible Solar Cells
A joint research team has developed a new type of highly flexible and stable solar cell that could be used in wearable electronics.
The power supply is vital to the safety of wearable electronics. Perovskite solar cell (PSC) has been widely used to manufacture flexible batteries because it is highly efficient, cheap, and easy to use. Perovskite is a material with the same type of crystal structure as calcium titanium oxide.
The flexible substrate is the key factor to determine the performance of PSCs.
Read more about Flexible Solar Cells...
FLIR VP40 Non-Contact Voltage Detector for Electrical Installations
FLIR Systems have released the FLIR VP40, a non-contact voltage detector for use in North America designed for field-troubleshooting and verification of residential, commercial, and industrial electrical installations. The VP40 makes it easy to quickly troubleshoot live and neutral wiring to ensure a safe job site.
With its built-in flashlight and CAT IV safety rating, the FLIR VP40 is a must-have for preliminary job site checks for live wiring. The durable, pen-sized tester quickly identifies the presence of AC voltage without contacting wires, even in the latest safety outlets.
Capital Asset Optimization: Harnessing IoT Data and Predictive Maintenance
For any business dealing with capital-intensive assets, maintaining machines and equipment is a continuous battle. From damaged equipment and undetected malfunctions to total machine failure that leads to unexpected (and costly) downtime, knowing how to future-proof your assets is a challenge. This is particularly true for wind farms.
If your strategy is to only fix when something breaks, you’re in a reactive mode, which often costs more and leads to extended, unplanned downtime, ultimately impacting your bottom line.
Read more about Capital Asset Optimization...
EHRC Workforce in Motion Report: 20,500 new workers needed Before 2022
In a recent interview with the The National Post, Electricity Human Resources Canada CEO Michelle Branigan said the need for workers in Canada’s electricity industry is “extremely critical.”
The industry directly employs almost 107,000 people, but less than 1 in 20 is aged 25 or under, only 1 in 4 is a woman, and just over 1 in 10 is from a visbile minority.
These statistics are from EHRC’s Workforce in Motion, a labour market intelligence research initiative for the years 2017-2022. The research report is a planning and informing tool for a wide range of electricity sector stakeholders and provides critical information to the sector for both short and long term resource planning.
