Workforce

  • The Past, Present, and Future of Powerline Inspection Automation

    “Tedious.” If you ask electric utilities for one word on powerline inspection, that would probably be it. “Time-consuming” and “expensive” would probably also feature. Yet, “vital” would be just as valid: there is no way to safely operate a transmission and distribution network without inspecting lines for damage or risk from factors such as vegetation. […]

  • Hydropower Foundation announces the 2020 Julie Keil Scholarship for Women Recipient

    September 16, 2020, Littleton, CO. The Hydropower Foundation announced the 2020 Julie Keil Scholarship Recipient is Ka’Liyah Burnett. A sophomore at the University of Maryland, pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree. Ka’Liyah is the third winner of the scholarship, which was established in 2015 to honor Julie Keil, a passionate leader known for balancing the interests […]

  • The DTC Revolution Ignored What 13.9% of America Actually Wears – Work Boots | Enter BRUNT

    September 15th 2020 – Introducing DTC BRUNT Workwear, is a brand here to redefine everyday workwear for essential workers from the team that brought you M.Gemi and Trade Coffee. Possibly the last apparel industry sector to be “disrupted”? Workwear. Yes, that’s right, the category of everyday wear favored by 13.9% of the United States, mechanics, […]

  • Big Oil Makes Concerted Push into Power

    BP made headlines in early August when it announced it wants to develop about 50 GW of net renewable generating capacity by 2030—a 20-fold increase from the 2.5 GW deployed in 2019—as part of a new

  • Technology in Construction: Matching Solutions to Specific Challenges

    This is the last of a three-part series on technology in construction. In the May issue, Part I focused on predicting and adapting to change. Part II—in the July issue—examined choosing and implementing

  • 5 Reasons Why You Need to Increase Remote Operations Capacity Today

    In February 2020, TIME magazine described the coronavirus pandemic’s workplace implications as “the world’s largest work-from-home experiment.” Today, it’s apparent that it is no longer an experiment, but a new way of working for the foreseeable future. Globally, 70% of people work remotely at least once a week, as every sector from government institutions and […]

  • 4 Ways Southeast Power’s Fleet Team Has Leveled-Up Since COVID-19

    “Things keep going,” Brent Tomamichel, fleet manager of Southeast Power (Figure 1), said when asked to describe the current state of the power industry. “Our industry is unique in that way; no matter what is happening in the world, everyone needs and wants their power on.”  If you’re one of the more than 1.9 million people […]

  • Mobile Devices to Support the Utility Industry

    Field service workers often log long hours at remote job sites where no two days are the same. To support daily tasks, whether they be at a power plant, oil rig, or other hard to access environments, advanced technologies have become more commonplace to get the job done. With the rapidly evolving nature of technology […]

  • Success Through Engineered Upgrades and a Focus on Behavior

    It sounds kind of strange, but you don’t always know, what you don’t know. That was the case at a Thai coal plant. When it started burning Indonesian subbituminous coal, operators didn’t know how dusty

  • Amicarella ‘Demystifies’ the Role of CEO for Women

    The power generation industry has historically been a male-dominated industry, but today there are a number of women who have risen through the ranks to positions of leadership. Ana Amicarella, CEO of EthosEnergy, is one of them. EthosEnergy is a leading independent service provider of rotating equipment services and solutions to the power, oil and […]

  • Renewable Energy Growth Stymied by Pandemic, but Optimism Is High

    The renewable energy sector was on a steep growth curve entering 2020 with a lot of experts predicting a record year. Then COVID-19 disrupted the entire world, causing trouble in supply chains and putting millions of workers in unemployment lines. However, a new report released by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), a renewable […]

  • SRP Employees Receive 3D Printed, Custom-fitted Mask Solution for COVID-19 Safety

    Ahwatukee-based Athena 3D Manufacturing and face-scanning app company Bellus3D worked with SRP to deploy an alternative innovation to the N95 mask With Arizona’s COVID-19 cases still on the rise, and a global shortage of N95 masks, Salt River Project (SRP), along with the help of local and national partners, developed state-of-the-art, 3D-printed mask solutions for […]

  • TapRooT® Doubles Down on Improving Human Performance with New Complete TapRooT® RCA Book Set

    Why do industry leaders choose TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis to train their teams to be the best problem-solvers? At System Improvements Inc., we teach organizations to recognize and fix smaller issues in order to prevent repeat incidents or major accidents. Today, System Improvements offers its latest training tool—the new Complete TapRooT® RCA Book Set. KNOXVILLE, […]

  • Coal Community Leaders Release Historic Platform for National Economic Transition

    Built on Community-Driven Solutions by Local, Tribal, and Labor Leaders, NET Platform Pushes For Bold Investments in National Transition Program For Those Hit Hardest by Changing Coal Economy READ THE PLATFORM HERE   NATIONWIDE – Today, 80 local, regional, and national organizations and leaders unveiled their National Economic Transition (NET) platform to give federal and national leaders […]

  • Kee Safety® Introduces OSHA-Compliant Kee® Rigid Anchors

    New Line of Rooftop Fall Arrest Systems Available in Stock for Shipment within 24 Hours (JUNE 2020) – Kee Safety, Inc., Buffalo, New York, announces the introduction of its comprehensive line of Kee Rigid Anchors fall arrest systems to provide personal fall protection in tie-back applications including suspended platforms, window washing, equipment tie-back, and general […]

  • iQ Series® Garments Made with DuPont™ Nomex® Comfort Win Innovation Award

    Unique Design by Bulwark® Protection and Innovative Fabric by DuPont Are Winning Combination WILMINGTON, Del., June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Bulwark® Protection and DuPont Safety & Construction today announced that the iQ Series® garment collection made exclusively with DuPont™ Nomex® Comfort fabric received a 2020 Innovation Award from the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers & […]

  • Assembling a Skilled Workforce in 2020 and Beyond

    Many companies say their employees are their greatest assets, yet they don’t all invest the time or resources necessary to find the best people for open positions. Creating a sound recruiting program and

  • Apex Industries joins Equal by 30 Campaign and Commits to Equal Pay, Leadership and Opportunities for Women in the Energy Sector

      The Equal by 30 campaign aims to have public and private sector commitments to work towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030 MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, May 21, 2020/ — The Equal by 30 Campaign aims to advance gender equality and ensure women have the […]

  • Texas Electric Cooperatives and Exelon Clearsight Form Alliance to Provide UAS Inspection Services to Electric Utilities in Texas

    Cutting-edge technology will help electric utilities in Texas maintain electrical assets AUSTIN, Texas, May 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC) and Exelon Clearsight, LLC (Exelon Clearsight) announced they have formed a partnership to bring advanced UAS (drone), robot, and software enabled inspections to utilities in Texas. Under the agreement, TEC will […]

  • Nuclear Power Plants Set Performance Records in Spite of Pandemic

    It’s spring outage season in the power industry. A time when plants of all types typically shut down and perform scheduled maintenance to ensure all essential equipment is as ready as possible to run reliably at full load for days on end during the peak summer season. This year, outages have been complicated by the […]

  • Understanding the Dangers of Hydrogen Sulfide Gas

    Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas is produced as a result of the microbial breakdown of organic materials in the absence of oxygen. It can be found in tanks, vaults, voids, and other confined spaces at industrial facilities including power plants. Besides being flammable and corrosive, H2S is also colorless and toxic, even in relatively low concentrations, […]

  • STLE Elects Paul Hetherington from Petro-Canada Lubricants as 2020-2021 President

    39-year industry veteran to lead technical society serving tribologists and lubrication engineers. Park Ridge, Illinois (May 5, 2020) ─ The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) — the technical society serving individuals, companies and organizations that comprise the tribology and lubrication engineering business sector — today announced that Paul Hetherington, CLS, manager, technical services, […]

  • Is Vogtle Nuclear Expansion on Schedule? CEO Sounds Confident

    “We still expect to meet the November regulatory-approved in-service dates for both Units 3 and 4,” Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning said during the company’s first quarter earnings call on April 30. The in-service dates he was referring to are November 2021 and November 2022 for Units 3 and 4, respectively, at the Vogtle nuclear […]

  • Cybersecurity Is More Important Than Ever Due to COVID-19

    The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many companies to change the way they conduct operations. Leaders have had to divide employees into essential and non-essential categories. Essential employees must report to

  • Technology in Construction: Predicting and Adapting to Change

    This is Part I in a series that identifies technology trends in the construction industry, and offers expert advice on how companies can prepare for changes that lie ahead. Predicting how technology will

  • Construction of Power Facilities Is ‘Essential’ in California

    Ahead of most of the U.S., California state and local officials in the first weeks of March adopted some of the earliest and strongest steps to restrict movement and close non-essential businesses in order to fight the spread of the COVID-19 disease. One of the key challenges in implementing these “shelter-in-place” orders was how to […]

  • Motivating and Engaging Your Remote Workforce

    Dr. Harold Hardaway and Shannon Hernandez / Cardigan With only a day’s or two notice, organizations found themselves required to send their folks home and set up remote work protocols. Employers and employees alike were quickly learning the nuances of Zoom meetings, with catchphrases like, “I think you’re on mute,” and “Is it your WiFi […]

  • Charah Solutions Awarded Large-Scale Pond Closure Contract by Southeastern Utility for Beneficial Use

    Over 2 Million Tons of Ash from Retired Coal-Fired Power Plant Will Be Beneficially Used in Concrete Industry LOUISVILLE, KY (April 28, 2020) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (the “Company”), a leading provider of environmental and maintenance services to the power generation industry, today announced that it recently was awarded a Closure by Removal […]

  • Sequester Key Workers and Make This the Power Industry’s Finest Hour

    How companies respond to the COVID-19 pandemic will determine their public reputations, and those of their leaders and key employees, for years if not decades. This, along with public safety, is why “Priority Number One” for the CEOs of power producers, utilities, and grid operators is to make sure critical employees, such as control room […]