While most jobs require specific tools that vary by type or need, most electricians carry a few essential tools for basic settings. Here are the most popular tools purchased in the industry as specified by each manufacturer below. Manual Hand Tools Klein Tools– NCVT-1 noncontact voltage tester– 11045 wire stripper and cutter– 32500 11-in-1 multibit…
Read more November 18, 2020The American Council on Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) published a report that outlined how carbon emissions could dramatically reduce if space heating were converted to electricity. In order to meet long-term goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel burning to heat homes and buildings needs to be moderated or eliminated. High-efficiency electric heat pumps (generated…
Read more November 10, 2020All Michiganders share the same goal: we all want to safely reopen Michigan. No matter how we have been individually affected by COVID-19, we all want to get Michigan back to work, our economy fully reopened, and the joys of life the virus took from us returned. To safely reopen and stay open, Michiganders must…
Read more October 26, 2020With face masks being all the rage, these days, manufacturers and hobbyists are discovering ways to innovate them; from air filtration to language translation, the possibilities are endless. Face mask requirements brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic have caused N95 and other nano-particle filter masks to be in high demand. As individuals, businesses, and governments…
Read more October 13, 2020According to a safety report by Littelfuse, electrical workers who were trained on safety practices weren’t necessarily aware of how to avoid injury or death from electrical shock. The Chicago-based circuit protection manufacturer surveyed 575 electrical workers across an assortment of industries. Technicians, design and project engineers, maintenance electricians, electrical contractors, and safety, plant, and…
Read more September 23, 2020According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), shipments of solar panels reached a record-high 16.4 million kilowatts (kW) in 2019. The former record of 13.5 million kW was set in 2016. Imports, exports, and modules produced and sold domestically all qualify as solar panel shipments; modules shipped for resale are excluded. “These shipments have…
Read more September 10, 2020Researchers and students at the University of Exeter Business School developed a way to measure the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on an economy’s Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. To calculate this data, the scientists analyzed hourly electricity consumption rates during Italy’s spring lockdown to measure the impact of those activities on their economy during…
Read more August 25, 2020According to testimony at a Senate committee hearing on August 5, the federal government should have the authority to simulate cyberattacks on the electric grid to lessen the nation’s vulnerability. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said, “The threat of cyberattacks by foreign adversaries and other sophisticated entities is…
Read more August 12, 2020A team of researchers from the Dept. of Physics and the Dept. of Chemistry have worked together to discover magnetism of a magnetic semiconductor called Cr2Ge2Te6 that shows a great response to applied electric fields. The material was found to exhibit a state of ferromagnetism with temperatures up to 200k (-73 C). These results were…
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