The Department of Defense yesterday announced the award of a $2.5 billion combined firm-fixed-price contract to Johnson Controls, Evergreen Fire Alarms and Federal Inc. for “procurement and installation of utility monitoring and control and similar systems.” The winning bid was selected from 14 internet-submitted solicitations and the estimated completion date is Aug. 21, 2019. The… Keep reading →
As oil production volumes from the Bakken Shale formation zoomed past 1 million barrels, farmers watched their grain inventories pile up because they have not been able to book rail shipping capacity fast enough. This article highlights shifting commodity production, pricing and transportation dynamics as the US oil output renaissance coincides with record grain production.… Keep reading →
Quick Take: We typically reserve press releases for our Friday column documenting product announcements and project wins. But I think this recent story from Itron has at least three important implications. First, an electric power utility is sharing its communications network with a separate entity (a city’s water department). This is such an obvious way for a… Keep reading →
Sunny skies have turned cloudy for utility-scale solar PV development in the United States thanks to a trade dispute that has spread from China to Taiwan, raising costs, squeezing margins and delaying and possibly threatening projects. From the moment German-owned SolarWorld’s U.S. arm initiated trade cases against Chinese companies nearly three years ago, accusing them… Keep reading →
It would be logical to assume that we make decisions based on our needs, desires, and values regardless of how the choice is presented. For instance, we wouldn’t expect the choice to become an organ donor to depend on whether you must check a box to accept or decline donation. But we would be wrong:… Keep reading →
Quick Take: By now you are thoroughly sick of hearing me hammer at utilities to speak up about the future they want. Our industry has hit a tipping point. Bellwether states such as New York are already rethinking the regulatory compact. Unless utilities become part of those discussions, they’ll end up in a future designed by others.… Keep reading →
The New York Power Authority recently posted a series of interviews with their female engineers. This entry features a Q&A session with NYPA Account Executive Tabitha Robinson. 1. How did you enter the engineering field? How did you decide on your specialty? I really loved math throughout school, it was like another language to me. There really was… Keep reading →
A claimed breakthrough in solid oxide fuel cell technology Earlier this week, General Electric announced that it is initiating an entrepreneurial effort to commercialize its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for megawatt-scale stationary power applications. Billion-dollar fuel cell startup Bloom Energy also works with SOFC technology at this scale. GE has claimed a recent… Keep reading →
The New York Power Authority recently posted a series of interviews with their female engineers. The first entry features a Q&A session with NYPA Senior Electrical Engineer Mei Lee. 1. How did you enter the engineering field, and how did you decide on your specialty? I attended Brooklyn Tech High School, where I majored in… Keep reading →
A new demand-side program will be a training ground for future utility reforms in New York Consolidated Edison is taking a new approach to delivering reliable power that is as radical as the gentrification sweeping New York’s outer boroughs. Con Ed filed a proposal on Wednesday with the New York Public Utilities Commission for a… Keep reading →
