Grid Outages Increase
January’s IEEE Spectrum relayed
and analyzed information (from EIA and NERC) showing that the U.S. grid is becoming
less reliable. See graphics below—and go here for the full story.
Lighting Developments—From the
DOE and the EPA
Energy Star luminaires specification—it’s
been released by the EPA, with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2011. More.
L Prize suspended—the
DOE has “closed” submissions for the L Prize competition for Par 38 SSL retrofit
lamps, according to LEDs Magazine. The plan is to reopen the thing in May.
Bad News Roundup
Arizona news—authorizes
in Mesa, Ariz., claim that “thieves have stolen at least 24 miles’ worth of
valuable copper wiring from the city in 2010,” according to a Dec. 20 Associated
Press report.
Christmas tree burned—in
Birmingham, Ala., according to blog.al.com, copper thieves burned down the city’s
Christmas tree by mistake. They “took off the lights and used gasoline to separate
the plastic from the copper, resulting in the apparent accidental tree torching.”
Contractor victimized—electrical
contractor Ken Miller’s office was one of seven burglarized the weekend of Jan.
8-9 in Smithfield, Pa., according to the Pocono Record. Miller told the
newspaper what was missing: NASCAR memorabilia. “An autographed hat from Kenny
Wallace, a miniature model ’38 Ford truck with my name on it, old pit passes,
and NASCAR programs from years ago that were good only for the dates on them.
In other words, stuff that’s worthless.”
Faith suffers loss—Faith
Technologies (Menasha, Wis.), one of the larger Midwest electrical contractors,
had a record of more than 3 million work-hours without a lost-time incident.
But on Dec. 2, 2010, two of the company’s employees fell 30 feet from “scissors-type
scaffolding” while working at a Green Bay-area paper plant, according to the
Wisconsin State Journal. One was killed, the other injured.
How it happened: According
to the Journal, “a forklift operated by an employee of another contractor
knocked over the lift that the two Faith employees were working from, said Mike
Jansen, president of Faith Technologies.”
Lighting fixture theft attempt—two
brothers (ages 25 and 27) from Dillsburg, Pa., were arrested Jan. 8 in Upper
Allen Township while trying to take lighting fixtures from a pallet at the rear
of a grocery store, according to The Sentinel (of Carlisle, Pa.).
Lighting retrofit is shocking—two
electricians working on the installation of energy-efficiency light fixtures
in a plant in Indianola, Pa., according to The Valley News-Dispatch (Dec.
31, 2010), were injured due to electrical shock. The men were working for an
unnamed electrical contractor; one “came into contact with a live electrical
source,” and suffered burns on his hands; when the other man came to his aid,
he, too, was shocked.
MMR suffers theft—a
report in the Dec. 29 Advocate of Baton Rouge, La., alleges that a 30-year-old
employee of MMR Group (an electrical contractor and more) “pocketed nearly $200,000
by selling 136 pieces of his employer’s computer equipment on eBay.” The allegations
came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mysterious electrocution—according
to the Duluth News-Tribune (Jan. 5), “what caused the electrocution death
of a Minnesota power employee at a Schroeder worksite in September remains a
mystery, even after a state investigation wrapped up last week. The nearly five-month
probe [by MN OSHA] found no hazards at the site that could have caused the death…no
citations will be issued in the incident for unsafe practices, the final report
says.”
NY state arrests—According
to a Oct. 1, 2010, release from Andrew Cuomo, then the state’s attorney general,
now its governor, three contractors arrested included one 39-year-old who “stole
more than $400,000 in state funds from workers…fraudulently claimed he was a
licensed electrician…[and] never paid some of his workers at all.”
San Diego electricity thefts
ended(?)—from the
San Diego Union Tribune (Dec.15): “For years, people would tear open
tamper-proof covers meant to restrict access to electrical sockets on a three-block
section of Newport Avenue. The thieves continued despite advances in technology,
said Joe Castillo, with the city’s street division.” The thieves were stealing
electricity. What has happened: The city rewired the posts, the newspaper said.
“Power outlets can now be restricted for weekly farmers markets and other business-related
events—rather than remain ‘on’ by default.”
Theft alleged—according
to a Jan. 6 report in The Walton Sun (Walton County, Fla.), a “contracted
employee who was performing electrical work” was reportedly identified via video
surveillance footage in Panama City, Fla. The 36-year-old was charged with grand
theft of three Apple iPod cell phones, possession of methamphetamine and hydrocodone,
and possession of drug paraphernalia. The item’s headline: “Electrical contractor
busted for stealing iPhones.”
“Unprecedented” electrocutions—a
family of three, ages 43, 42, and 21, was electrocuted (sequentially) in San
Bernardino, Calif., as the result of a downed power line. See the report in
Mike Holt’s newsletter.
Vermont law on scrap metal
processors—according
to the Jan. 14 Brattleboro Reformer, scrap metal processors must “verify
the identity of a seller” via government-issued photo ID and the seller’s license
plate, an attempt to halt thefts of copper and other metal items. Those who
do not comply can be fined up to $1,000.
Wiring ripped out—from
the Dec. 22, 2010, Des Moines Register: “A man trying to remodel a house…suffered
a setback this week when thieves broke in and ripped out new electrical wiring.”
A quote followed from a Des Moines police lieutenant: “We’ve been seeing one
of these thefts just about every day in some form or fashion if we’re talking
about all metals. Vacant houses are targeted quite a bit. The labor required
for replacement is a much higher cost than the value of the metal they take.”
© 2012 The Electrical Distributor. All rights reserved.