January 2005.pdf - Electrical Business Magazine

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INDUSTRY NEWS//Architecture for powergrid upgrade unveiledThe Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), anaffiliate of the Electric Power ResearchInstitute (EPRI), completed the initial phaseof the Intelligrid Architecture—the first comprehensivecommunications architecture forthe power delivery system of the future. Theresult is a unified vision for upgrading thepower system that will save time and moneyfor systems designers, and ensure compatibilitywith future technologies.“The knowledge-based economy of thefuture will require a smart power delivery systemthat links information technology withenergy delivery,” said Clark Gellings, vice-presidentof Power Delivery and Markets for EPRI.The Intelligrid vision links communicationsand electricity into a ‘smart’ grid—anintegrated, self-healing and electronically controlledpower system that will offer flexibilityand functionality, and improve system security.By promoting compatibility with futuretechnologies, these tools for the design of systemswill eliminate the need for expensiveupgrades later. Promoting interoperabilityand better communication, Intelligrid’s nonproprietaryopen architecture can be adoptedby all manufacturers.“If all stakeholders follow a common architecture,the modernized grid will be morerobust, more reliable and more secure,”emphasized William Parks, the U.S.Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) acting director,Office of Electric Transmission andDistribution (OETD).To develop the Intelligrid Architecture, ateam of industry experts brought utility industryand standards-making experience to thetask of defining the requirements and thetechnical approach for the project. Theirreport, available free of charge to the public,can be found at www.e2i.org. It includes a catalogueof the functions of the electricity system,a set of design tools and recommendationsfor standards and technologies. Users ofthe Web-based system will have access to over6000 pages of models, tools, methodologies,guidelines and recommendations.Fuel cell adoptionto be driven by standardsIf fuel cell and other alternative energy technologiesare to be successfully adopted intomass-market applications, government andindustry leaders in Canada and around theglobe need to be actively involved in theendorsement of standards.Speaking at the Hydrogen and Fuel CellsConference 2004 in Toronto, Pat Keindel,president of standards with the CanadianStandards Association (CSA), told attendeesthat “by creating consistency, uniformityand interchangeability, standards help speedup the development of alternative energytechnologies and can help smooth the adoptionprocess.”She explained how common protocols in theIT industry have helped build market growth.“Similarly, by developing standards relating togreenhouse gas emissions, Canada has anopportunity to bring world-leading technologiesand services, as well as sound environmentalpolicies, to the fore,” Keindel argued.Making skilled trades a first-choice career option for youthDespite the fact skilled tradespeople play an important role inCanada’s economy and society, a negative perception existsamong Canadian youth and their influencers toward careers inskilled trades. In a recent survey, 42 per cent of Canada’s youth claimthey are unlikely to consider a career in the skilled trades. This negativeattitude, compounded by the expected retirement of manytradespeople within the next few decades and declining birth rates,will lead to a skilled tradespeople shortage.To increase the awareness of skilled trades as afirst-choice career option, the CanadianApprenticeship Forum–Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage(CAF-FCA) and Skills/CompétencesCanada (S/CC) have joined forces to develop anational, multi-faceted campaign entitled “SkilledTrades: A Career You Can Build On”.“We are very excited to launch this campaign aswe recognize the urgency of making young peopleand their parents more aware of the benefits ofchoosing a career in the trades,” said KeithLancastle, executive director of CAF-FCA.The campaign has two important objectives: tochange the negative perception of careers in skilledtrades that exists among youth, parents and educators;and encourage employers to hire and retainImage courtesy Skills/Compétences CanadaThis example of the campaign’s promotionalmaterial targets employers.To that end, CSA is working on a numberof alternative energy initiatives, including:• the publication of the first of 15 new standardsdeveloped for the global use of fuel cells;• the development of a new standard that willset requirements for the process of extractinghydrogen from fuels, such as natural gas, topower fuel cells;• the certification of the first-ever fuel cellpower systems to the new FC 1 standard;• the development of standards for the interconnectionof renewable energy—such aswind, solar power, biomass or fuel cells—into the power distribution grid; andFCI’s CDC Division (Americas)to focus distribution networkIn a move designed to focus its sales channels,global interconnect supplier FCI’sCDC Division in the Americas has terminatedagreements with four of its distributors,one of which is Canadian (FutureElectronics is a global distributor of electroniccomponents with seven branches inCanada, including its worldwide headquartersin Montreal) and one, Sager Electronics,which has a branch in Ontario.FCI will continue to have a distributionteam with global partners Arrow Electronics,Avnet and TTI, along with national distributorThe DAC Group (consisting of ForceElectronics and Heilind Electronics). In additionto these four key partners, FCI will continueits distributor relationships with regionaldistributor Aerospace and catalogue distributorsAllied Electronics, Mouser Electronicsand Newark Electronics.more apprentices. The campaign is being funded by theGovernment of Canada’s Sector Council Program, through HumanResources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), and will costapproximately $12 million over three years.“Skilled Trades” features television, radio, cinema and print ads inboth English and French that commenced in mid-September acrossCanada. A website (www.careersintrades.ca) has been developed,with specific links to the CAF-FCA and S/CC websites to facilitateaccess to in-depth information on skilled trades andapprenticeships.The campaign is unique in that it is an integrated,national effort, developed with regional representativesfrom various sectors. To complement theadvertising campaign, this grass-roots approach willbe extended to various other initiatives. Employersare specifically targeted due to their importance inproviding apprenticeship-training opportunities.“Convincing more employers to hire and retainapprentices is a critical factor in the success of thiscampaign as well as the future supply of certifiedtradespeople,” said Lancastle, explaining that formost trades, 80 per cent of the training is conductedon-the-job, with guidance and mentoring fromjourneypersons.NEMA releases safety guide forground fault protective devicesRevised for the first time since 2000, TheNational Electrical ManufacturersAssociation (NEMA) has released PB2.2-2004, Application Guide for GroundFault Protective Devices for Equipment.The guide offers practical informationcontaining instructions for the safe andproper application of ground fault protective(GFP) devices, which include:current-sensing devices, relaying equipment,or combinations of the two; orother protective equipment that willoperate to cause a disconnecting meansto open all ungrounded conductors atpredetermined values of ground faultcurrent and time.Canadian Hydrocasts light on hippo sanctuaryCanadian Hydro presented the firstWechiau Lighting Initiative Fundraiser inOctober in partnership with University ofCalgary-based Light Up the WorldFoundation and the Calgary ZooConservation Fund. The WechiauLighting Initiative aims to provide 550solar-powered lighting units to the 10,000people living near the WechiauCommunity Hippo Sanctuary in Ghana,West Africa by April.“We believe everyone should have accessto clean, safe and affordable lighting,” saidCanadian Hydro CEO, John Keating.“Currently, many people in third-worldcountries, including Ghana, use crudekerosene-fueled lamps, which are dangerous,dirty and expensive.”The reserve is about 40 kilometreslong. The villagers have moved all farmsand fishing camps two kilometres fromthe river to minimize human and hippoconflict and provide an undisturbedgrazing habitat for the animals.Notwithstanding this disruption to theirsubsistence economy, the people in thearea support the project because theyunderstand that by conserving the environment,they are creating other opportunitiesfor their community, includingeco-tourism.Photo courtesy Canadian Hydro Developers IncThe people in the area of the hippo reserve support theproject because they understand they are creatingopportunities for their community, such as eco-tourism.INFO NO. 44 • JANUARY 2005 • www.mag.com
PERSONALITIES //CALENDAR//Electro-FederationCanada (EFC) chair,Bob Brews announcedthe appointment ofMilos Jancik to theposition of presidenteffective January 1,upon the retirement of Milos Jancikcurrent president,Doug Baldwin. Jancik joins EFC with 30years of experience and involvement in theCanadian electrical/electronics industry—thelast 13 as president of Moeller Electric Inc., along-time EFC member company throughthe Electrical Equipment ManufacturersAssociation of Canada (EEMAC). He holdsboth an engineering degree from theUniversity of Manitoba and an MBA fromYork University.Ron Matthews, vice-president of sales(Eastern Canada) for Cooper Crouse-Hinds,announced Bill Saylor’s promotion to areamanager for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)and Southwestern Ontario. He has been in theelectrical industry for 19 years, and withCooper Crouse-Hinds for the past seven.‘Brilliant Thinking’ landstwo customers in winners circleThe recent “BrilliantThinking Contest”from Osram Sylvaniafeatured speciallyselected Sylvania energy-efficientlightingproducts and prizes forcustomers who made Bill Carreiropurchases from thecompany’s dealer networkacross Canada.The winners—Claude Dumais (whowon his prize throughthe Nedco branch inLaval, Que.) and BillClaude DumaisCarreiro (who claimed his prize through EecolElectric’s main branch in Edmonton)—eachreceived a five-megapixel Olympus C-50zoom digital camera and HP PhotoSmartcompact 245 photo printer.Phase two of the promotion runs until theend of January. Customers choosing SylvaniaDulux® EL compact fluorescent lamps forany project are eligible to win a Sony PortaVueLCD colour TV.Visioneering Corp., a manufacturer of fluorescentand HID luminaires, welcomesHandford Marketing as its territorial manufacturerrepresentative for Manitoba.Handford can be reached at (204) 478-6775.As part of an expansion of its MSP services toindustry and other utilities, Hamilton Hydro’sMetering Services appointed Vito Genovese toMSP project engineer. A registered professionalelectrical engineer, Vito comes to HamiltonHydro (Ontario) after five years as senior engineer–wholesalemetering with the independentmarket operator. He possesses extensive experiencewith metering standards because of his 14years as assistant district manager withMeasurement Canada.T&B winners experience thrill of racecar drivingGrand-prize winners of the Thomas & Betts “It’s in the Bag” promotion experienced the thrillof a lifetime at the “Day at the Races” event, held last fall.The culmination of the summer-long Ty-Rap® Cable Tie promotion, the event included anall-expenses-paid day of racing plus a driving lesson from a professional instructor.The winners were:• Glenn Hinada, Translink (British Columbia)• Mark Kurschener, Pronghorn Controls Ltd. (Alberta)• Byron Adams, Transgas (Midwest)• John Mungall, Crown Metal Packaging (Central)• Roger Caron, Cribtec Inc. (Quebec)• Charles Hennigar, Gardner Electric (Atlantic)Plans for a 2005 “Day at the Races” event are already underway.From left to right: Ed Atkinson, T&B; Dean Craig, T&B; John Mungall, Crowne Metal Packaging; Neil Macleod, FranklinEmpire Inc.; François Thibault, T&B; Scott Ebner, Pronghorn Controls Ltd. (replacing Mark Kurschener); Mario Plante, NedcoQuebec; Matt Courtorielle, T&B; Rick Humphrey, T&B; Reg Clark, T&B; André Boudreau, T&B; Ken O’Brien, T&B; Mark C.Hennigar, Gardner Electric; Byron Adams, Transgas; Bruce Kidson, Harris & Roome Halifax; Brian Morrow, Wesco Saskatoon;Paul Gaudet, EECOL Fort McMurray; Roger Caron, Cribtec Inc.; and Jean-Marc Myette, T&B.Iris Power Engineeringappointed Blake Lloydto general manager ofsales. Blake worked insoftware development,then the ElectricalResearch Department,at Ontario Hydro, Blake Lloydwhere he was responsiblefor conductingresearch into advancedmeasurement, testingand diagnostic monitoringtechniques for rotatingmachines and insulationsystems. Since cofoundingIris in 1990,Paul MadgerBlake has been the principal architect of thecompany’s line of partial discharge-relatedinstrumentation and analysis software. PaulMagder will now move from the sales departmentto direct the activities of Iris’ ProductEngineering and Development group. Paul hasbeen with Iris for 10 years, where he spent thelast two as vice-president of sales.WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH appointedTom Artmann president of its NorthAmerican operations, WAGO Corp. Tomstarted with WAGO Corp. in 1982, onlythree years after the North American subsidiarywas founded. He has held many differentroles within the company, including hisprevious role as vice-president of sales andmarketing. Meanwhile, WAGO Corp. haspromoted David Monfre to the position ofstrategic market manager–elevatorindustry.David has been withWAGO for more than13 years, and is nowresponsible for co-ordinatingand expandingboth new/existing relationshipsand productsDavid Monfrein the elevator industry within North America.Get Sirius about this awardCon-Tech Lighting is honouring lightingdesigners, architects and specifiers for a seventhyear for their work with the Sirius®product line through its 2005 Sirius Award.Con-Tech Sirius Award winners from 2004 and 2003. Thisyear, the top prize is $2500 US with an additional $500 USbeing awarded to the participating sales rep.Entries are judged on creativity, originality andeffective product use. Cash prizes will beawarded to the winners, who will beannounced at Lightfair 2005 in New York.Complete details can be obtained by callingMichael Lehman at (847) 559-5500.ConstructJob Inc. founder Natalie Abshierhas joined Accubid Systems (Toronto) as managerof its new Project Management Productsdivision, and will continue to direct the developmentof the ConstructJob product line.Existing ConstructJob users will continue todeal with Natalie and her team on matters ofproduct support, training and implementation.EB announces the passing of Burton S.“Bud” Lifson, retired chair of CW Industries,who died last year at the age of 81. His company—whichhe and his brother bought in1958 when it was named Continental-WirtCorp.—manufacturers electrical switches,connectors and specialized electrical/electronicassemblies.BICSI Winter ConferenceJanuary 24–27Orlando, Fla.Visit www.bicsi.orgDistribuTECHConference & ExhibitionJanuary 25–27San Diego, Calif.Visit www.distributech.comElectrical Inspectors Associationof Alberta (EIAA) AnnualTechnical ConferenceFebruary 4–5Sherwood Park, Alta.Call Don Letcher at (780) 922-3433 orJohn Biollo at (780) 986-8864, or e-mailthem at dletc@telusplanet.net or1john@telus.net, respectively.Basic Electricity CourseFebruary 15–March 31Victoria, B.C.E-mail bcea@bcea.bc.caor call (604) 291-7708.The Work Truck Show®March 2–4Indianapolis, Ind.Visit www.ntea.comCanadian ConstructionAssociation (CCA) AnnualConferenceMarch 6–11Cancun, MexicoVisit www.cca-acc.com. Click on News &Events followed by Events/Conferences.Fundamentals of DC Operation &Repair TipsMarch 18–19Denver, Colo.Visit www.easa.com or call (314) 993-2220.NETA (InterNational ElectricalTesting Association) 2005 AnnualTechnical Conference, Seminars& Trade ShowMarch 21–24New Orleans, La.Visit www.netaconference.comElectric Power 2005April 5–7Chicago, Ill.Visit www.electricpowerexpo.comLightfair 2005 Trade Show &ConferenceApril 12–14New York, N.Y.Visit www.lightfair.comEFC Annual General MeetingApril 14(More information to come)Mechanical RepairFundamentals of Electric MotorsApril 22–23St. Louis, Mo.Visit www.easa.com or call (314) 993-2220.National Association of ElectricalDistributors (NAED) AnnualConferenceApril 22–26Orlando, Fla.Visit www.naed.orgwww.mag.com • JANUARY 2005 • 5
Page 1 and 2: INFO NO. 1ISO-BXFOR ISOLATEDGROUND
Page 3: FROM THE EDITOR //Thoughts for the
Page 7 and 8: ATLANTIC FOCUS//Energy conservation
Page 9 and 10: TOOLS FOR THE TRADE //Evolving ergo
Page 11 and 12: PRODUCT SHOWCASE //TOOLS FOR THE TR
Page 13 and 14: MARKETPLACE //For more information,
Page 15 and 16: PRODUCT COUNTER For more informatio

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