Photo Courtesy of Florida DOT Investigators are examining how much training was given to the driver of a load similar to the one pictured. He died while unloading a sound-wall panel. Related Links: Fatal Crash in 2013 Results in Vehicular Homicide Charges for Nashville Ready Mix and Its President Ironworker Crushed by Steel at Brooklyn's Barclays Center A fatal accident that occurred on May 14 on a Jacksonville, Fla., highway project is raising questions about training procedures and poor communication. A trucker delivering precast sound-wall sections was crushed by one of the 15,000-lb concrete elements as he unloaded his transport
What is being called a first-of-its-kind community microgrid is taking shape in upstate New York. A partnership comprising two universities, a national laboratory, one of the world's leading electrical manufacturers, the region's electric utility and several other participants is working through the issues to create the innovative microgrid in the village of Potsdam, N.Y.New York's North Country, where Potsdam is located, is no stranger to harsh weather. A 1998 ice storm hammered the area for four days, paralyzing cities and cutting power to 130,000 people. Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 struck neighboring Vermont, flooding nearly every river and stream, isolating
Welcome to the launch of the ENR Energy newsletter. I have to confess: As a reader, I have no use for editors’ notes at the beginning of a new publication.
Photo Courtesy of Sasol Ethane Cracker site requires installation of concrete piles. Related Links: South Africa's Sasol Moves on New Petrochemical Project in Louisiana Western Canada Eyes Gas-to-Liquid Production Facility Construction is underway on an $8.1-billion ethane cracking plant after its owner, Sasol Ltd., in January delayed a decision to invest in a neighboring project estimated to cost up to $14 billion. Crews for three construction contractors are now performing site preparation, piling and foundation work on the Westlake, La., site while four other contractors have been awarded contracts for later mobilization.Cajun Constructors Inc., Civil Construction Co. and James Industrial
Related Links: Link to USGS Feb. 24 report The U.S. Geological Survey detected changes in groundwater salinity near Florida's Lake Okeechobee following construction of a seepage barrier along the southeastern quarter of the lake. Contractors working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a cutoff wall to divert the path of water seepage discovered after hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. The flow damaged the 143-mile-long Herbert Hoover Dike, built in the 1930s around the lake for flood control.Seepage of this sort is responsible for about 20% of dam failures in the U.S., according to the Association of State Dam
Photo Courtesy of REC Solar Disruption Hawaiians suspect NextEra will slight systems based on rooftop solar panels in favor of utility-scale projects, such as the Kauai solar project. Photo Courtesy of REC Solar Related Links: Hawaiian Utilities Balk at Speed of Solar Panel Adoption With Cable-Linked Projects Island State Aims To Be Model Advocates of renewable energy are not cheering the proposed sale of Hawaii's principal electric utility to the nation's largest solar and wind energy producer. Opponents of the deal fear the buyer may halt the growth of distributed solar generation to favor utility-scale projects it would operate. Similar
Related Links: Senate Blocks Keystone Pipeline Plan Construction Groups Slam Delay in Keystone Pipeline Decision Backers of the Keystone XL Pipeline are not discouraged by the Nov. 18 Senate defeat of a bill to allow the project to proceed. They expect the Republican majority in the next Congress to vote for approval. Still, the controversial project has some hurdles to clear.TransCanada Corp. proposed the 1,179-mile, $8-billion KXL project in 2005 to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Hardisty, Alberta, to a connection in Nebraska with its existing Keystone Pipeline system, which delivers Canadian heavy oil to the U.S.
Photo by AP Wideworld Improved lighting, such as the LED lamps in Houston's NRG stadium (above), is an easily achieved EE goal that pays off quickly. Related Links: Fulfill the Promise of Building Energy Performance IEA 2014 Energy Efficiency Market Report Energy efficiency "represents the most important plank in efforts to decarbonize the global energy system and achieve the world's climate objectives," said International Energy Agency officials in the body's second annual report on the energy- efficiency market, released in October.One measure of energy efficiency (EE) is energy intensity, or the ratio of energy consumption to another metric, such as