Nikola Under the Microscope

New report alleges fraud, executive corruption; CEO resigned Monday Where there’s opportunity, there’s those who position to take advantage of it. Unfortunately these days, it seems the opportunist pool is diluted with corrupt motivations. The latest example of alleged, intricate corporate fraud—taking advantage of a promising good technology, reportedly—comes from electric truck manufacturer Nikola. Hindenburg […]

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WEFTEC Incoming

Your monthly virtual conference alert features excellent diversity WEFTEC, like so many of its trade show contemporaries, is fully virtual this year. The conference airs October 5-9 and is available to non-members for a $60 registration fee, with free options for students as well as free viewing available for the opening, awards, and closing sessions. […]

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Goodenough for a Lifetime

Nobel prize winning inventor of lithium-ion battery, 97, still looking forward How about this for a resume? See below: Dr. John B. Goodenough, Professor, Cockrell School of Engineering, UT-Austin -Invented lithium-ion battery -Served as military meteorologist, U.S. Army, WWII -Oldest Nobel Prize winner -Still working at age 97 Education -Undergraduate degree, Yale University -PhD, Physics, […]

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The “Quiet” Rise of the VFD

Noise reduction by combining variable frequency drives with hydraulics By combining Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) technology with electric motors in hydraulic power units, Green Hydraulic Power, Inc (GHP), a renewable energy company based in Huntington Beach, Calif., says it can lower customer energy usage by up to 80% while simultaneously reducing noise in the workplace […]

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Paint It, Black

Norwegian wind farm reportedly cut bird deaths by 70 percent with simple change A Norwegian wind farm says it painted its turbine blades black and reduced bird deaths by 70 percent, according to a study published in scientific research journal Ecology and Evolution this August. Researchers from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and Lake Annsjon […]

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Progress Pod

Esteemed organization demonstrates fluid transition to new media The Association of Facilities Engineering has a new podcast. The AFE Factor, a solid exhibition of how historically rooted workforce organizations can transition to new media, premiered July 31. Hosted by Amir Clayton Powell aka “AC”, the organization’s executive director and CEO, the podcast is already rolling […]

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Renewable Project Goes Bankrupt

DOE-backed plans for solar/storage array at Crescent Dunes haven’t panned out With all the promise of renewable energy technologies, we can get lost in the plethora of feel-good headlines. Especially with integrated projects, such as solar-plus-storage, sometimes it feels like renewable energy ideas are immune to failure. News from the Nevada desert this week proves […]

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Lightning Strikes Twice

Charging station/fleet brand stems from Colorado-based EV company Lightning Systems, the Loveland, Co., developer and manufacturer of zero-emission commercial electric vehicles, announced the launch of Lightning Energy, its new fleet division, on July 29. The company does design, installation, service, and management for charging infrastructure in the EV industry, “providing fleets with turnkey options to […]

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Relayr (IoT) Partners w/ Grupo Marro

Self-proclaimed “IoT powerhouse” from Chicago makes long-term deal with Mexican company Relayr, another company joining the all-lower-case name squad, calls Chicago, Illinois its worldwide corporate headquarters but retains offices throughout Europe (two in Germany, one in Poland, Italy, and England apiece). The company is primarily an IoT (Internet of Things) outfitter, but like many digital-manufacturing […]

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Renewable Rise Continues

25% of all U.S. power generation in 2020 has come from renewable sources A Vermont startup company received a million-dollar grant for a project that will emphasize solar-to-energy storage technologies. From the company’s website, with links to Energy Department press release: Vermont-based Norwich Technologies announced last week that it has been awarded a $1.1M U.S. […]

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