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Five benefits of digital distribution transformers for power grids
Digital distribution transformers offer many potential benefits for power grids that justify their adoption for power grids.
How do microgrids relate to the National Electrical Code?
Learn about the applicable code sections relating to microgrids and interconnected sources within NFPA 70
Examining government, state, municipal, federal, and military facilities: Electrical, power, and lighting
Government and military projects are among the toughest challenges an engineer can face. Demanding facility owners, tight budget limitations, safety concerns, and other factors all come into play. Here, engineers with experience in the field offer advice on how to succeed in regards to electrical, power, and lighting.
Market and M&A trends in energy efficiency services
The energy-as-a-service (“EaaS”) market has created an evolving ecosystem of companies performing a wide range of functions.
Integrate building systems to improve functionality
Integrated building systems can connect several engineered systems within a building to make it more energy-efficient and to trim costs.
Soaring smart electric meter market: Enabling a balanced profitability landscape for the consumers and the energy companies
The world is on the cusp of a smart meter revolution set to provide customers with data and transparency in energy consumption and magnify energy efficiency.
Networking VFDs in high-performance buildings
Historically, the use of variable frequency drives (VFDs) has been limited to large motors and projects with healthy infrastructure budgets. However, as each iteration of the energy code mandates variable flow control of mechanical systems on smaller systems, VFDs have become more commonplace. While their implementation has been typically limited to providing code-required variable flow, VFDs are capable of communicating a wealth of information on system energy consumption, equipment health, and diagnostics.
Smart utility meters enhance utility operations
The capabilities of advanced metering infrastructure offer opportunities for improving service and preventing lost revenue through phase error analysis.
Self-powered wireless technology adds flexibility to smart buildings
Future trends in building automation solve many problems with increased flexibility and wireless technology.
Arup Thoughts: Achieving resilient power and clean air
The increased use of standby diesel generators to plug gaps in the national electricity supply poses a threat to local air quality.
Arup Thoughts: Challenges for a smarter energy system
The many elements of a smart energy system need to act simultaneously to create an optimum outcome.
Smart electricity meter revenue to reach $7 billion globally in 2021
As smart metering technology continues to gain a wider understanding, alongside the ever-increasing value of data, the market for communicating meters will continue to grow, albeit at a more moderate pace than the breakneck speed of recent years.
Arup Thoughts: How should we design for a networked world?
With data collected about our online activities comes enormous insight and influence over human behavior and a great potential to more intelligently cater to individual needs.
Arup Thoughts: Smarter electricity in developing nations
It is revealing that rich nations have progressed slowly in the implementation of smart electricity distribution systems over the last decade.
Arup Thoughts: Robots can boost efficiency
New robots will revolutionize the construction industry.
Northwestern medical facility incorporates sustainable design
Six ways Northwestern Medicine's 259 East Erie building incorporates sustainable design.
Commissioning commercial buildings: Electrical, power, and lighting
Ideally, all nonresidential buildings would be commissioned, and the team would start at the onset of the project. Because that’s not always the case, commissioning authorities and experts offer advice on building projects in various stages of commissioning, recommissioning, or retro-commissioning. Professionals discuss electrical and power systems, and lighting.
Case study: Saudi Sinnovate smart facility
The King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) smart city includes four specialized buildings on an integrated campus.
Microgrid control system
SEL microgrid control solutions allow seamless integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) to maintain uninterrupted power to critical loads with the use of a microgrid controller that responds to external data.
Evolving the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)
The NESC (National Electrical Safety Code) informs utility work and contributes to the safety of utility workers and the general public in a variety of ways.
Using IEEE 2030 as a Smart Grid primer for public utility commissions
In shaping technical and rate policies in the globally emerging Smart Grid, public utility commissions, and other regulators around the world can source IEEE 2030 as a reference document and primer.
Ensuring emergency power after a natural disaster
Could a Fukushima-type disaster happen here?
Keeping tabs on emerging technology trends: professional development in the face of emerging trends
In a consulting-specifying engineer’s career, one’s focus typically is directed at pragmatic engineering challenges arising from a client’s specific project, but emerging issues, disruptive trends and new challenges are all reasons to remain well-informed of emerging technological trends.
Top 5 Consulting-Specifying Engineer articles, September 22-28: LED luminaires, NFPA 75 changes, Product of the Year, more
Articles about specifying LED luminaires, NFPA 75 changes, the 2014 Product of the Year winners, mitigating arc flash hazards, and MEP Giants diversifying were Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s five most clicked articles from last week, September 22-28. Were you out last week? Miss something? You can catch up here.
Best practices for mixed-use buildings: Electrical, power systems
Taking on a mixed-use structure—such as one that includes retail and residential portions—can be an engineering challenge. With all the different engineered systems involved, it can be like working on and integrating several different projects at once. Electrical and power systems often have unique requirements.
Integrating commercial buildings, utilities with the Smart Grid
Knowing where and how much power is needed allows the Smart Grid to adjust power distribution in real time. The agility of matching power demand with power production minimizes the amount of power that generating facilities must dump, and keeps base-load plants running at minimum capacity. This article explores the relationship between utilities, the Smart Grid, and commercial buildings through the consulting engineer’s eyes.
Building commissioning challenges, solutions: Electrical, power system
Commissioning, recommissioning, or retro-commissioning, can be a challenge—and the more complex a facility is, the more boxes an engineer has to check to get the job done right. Electrical and power systems must be carefully commissioned to meet code and owner expectations.
Industrial-class smart meter
The VerifEye Series 4000 Industrial ModBus Smart Meter is a turnkey solution for measuring and verifying electrical usage across a range of industrial, commercial, and other energy-saving applications.
The challenge: Tall and super-tall buildings: Electrical and power systems
High-rise buildings aren’t just big—for engineers, they present big challenges. The electrical engineer has many distribution, metering, and power system issues to consider.
Lowering energy use, elevating building performance
Net-zero energy buildings can be achieved with smart building design. Here are tips on how to design a high-performance building.
Top 5 Consulting-Specifying Engineer articles, June 2-8
Articles about energy management and water heating systems, the 40 Under 40 winners, advice on managing your boss, the project manager’s role in marketing, and smart building integration were Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s five most clicked articles from last week, June 2-8. Were you out last week? Miss something. You can catch up here.
Microgrids: Consulting-specifying engineers must be ready
Microgrids appear poised for a wide adoption. As a result, consulting-specifying engineers should be aware of how microgrids affect substation designs in commercial and industrial applications.
Data center design: Electrical and power systems
In the information age, data centers are one of the most critical components of a facility. If the data center isn’t reliable, business can’t be done. This is a review of the key electrical and power issues in data centers.
Energy harvesting power for the Internet of Things
Energy harvesting wireless technology easily interconnects thousands of individual devices in a system, opening up unlimited processing and monitoring applications.
Smart grid improves energy usage, helps meet building codes
By offering Smart Grid solutions to your clients, you can help them become more energy efficient.
Report: Smart Grid sensors market to double by 2014
By 2014, IHS predicts that the Smart Grid sensors market will more than double in size from estimated 2012 levels, with annual revenue topping $100 million for the first time in 2015.
Green power roundtable: Exploring green impacts of electrical distribution systems
Energy efficiency is a buzzword for building owners and engineers' clients. Demand for distributed generation (DG) and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, is growing rapidly. Here, a group of experts discuss the impact that DG (10 MW or less) and renewable energy sources, which are connected to the utility at the distribution level, have on distribution system reliability.
Understanding Smart Grid interconnections, interfaces, and standards
Standards provide engineers with a starting point that will work throughout the U.S.
Connecting buildings to the Smart Grid
Engineers should know the NIST and ASHRAE standards for the Smart Grid, and be aware of the availability of Smart Grid-ready products for commercial buildings.
Danfoss gives HVAC 2012 industry outlook
Danfoss' senior leaders offered their perspective on energy efficiency, the Smart Grid, and refrigerants at a press conference.
Energy efficiency, Smart Grid technology shared among U.S., Russia
The United States and Russia are cooperating on energy efficiency and the Smart Grid, sharing best practices.
EnOcean Alliance announces open-specification for wireless sensors
The first global, open-specification for energy-harvesting wireless sensors was announced by the EnOcean Alliance at Greenbuild 2009.
DOE requests $2.3 billion for efficiency, renewable energy
The FY 2010 budget will expand the use of renewable energy sources and improve the energy transmission structure.
What’s in the stimulus bill for engineers?
Chief editor Michael Ivanovich ponders the multi-billion dollar stimulus bill, and how it affects engineers.
