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 […]

Continue reading →

Electrocutions Strike Mining Facilities

MSHA reports two accidental electrical deaths in West Va., Louisiana In somber news, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported two fatalities due to electrocution in the month of August, one in West Virginia and one in Louisiana. The first, which occurred on August 7, occurred at the South Hollow Prep Plant and Loadout […]

Continue reading →

What’s That Sound?

If you hear any noise, this material you will enjoy Researchers at Boston University’s College of Engineering may have just made big strides in noise abatement solutions, something that involves new industrial materials and could have application in both the HVAC and plant sectors. A noise-blocking, mathematically driven, ring that silences sound without blocking airflow […]

Continue reading →

A New Normal

A progressive EV startup manufactures from a small Midwest town While Tesla seems to have somewhat hit its apex, countless electric vehicle manufacturers vie for the throne. One of them is doing while simultaneously helping to revitalize the town of Normal, Illinois. That company is Rivian Automotive. Rivian’s brain trust resides mostly in California—Battery, Electric […]

Continue reading →

Cloud Cover

From CEOs to shop owners, cloud savvy is producing Barron’s released its list of the 30 best leaders in business, 2018 edition, this week. A main theme covered by the business magazine is that these CEOs have navigated the emergence of ‘cloud’ technology effectively. While this mostly applies to tech companies, it also included companies […]

Continue reading →

Recycling Plant Fire

Four-alarm blaze at Willimantic Waste Paper Co. lasted over 20 hours A four-alarm fire at a Connecticut plant lasted over 20 hours from Sunday into early Monday morning, decimating a 100,000 square foot building and forcing school closings in the process. At least 14 area fire departments, consisting of over 200 firefighters, were called in […]

Continue reading →

Holding Down The Fort

Former GE plant site being converted into innovation hub Fort Wayne, Indiana—like other Rust Belt cities during the past decade-plus— appears to be undergoing a renaissance of sorts. In April 2017, EA reported on a major expansion to the existing Alconex magnet wire plant located there. The decision was noteworthy not only because a crucial manufacturing […]

Continue reading →

The Fix Is In

On-site repair has always been important, but times are changing On-site repair has always been integral to plant and shop maintenance and business. However, in changing times, who does what—and how they do it—are changing as well. While traditional repairmen still make “house calls”, equipment end users in many industrial sectors are cutting back on […]

Continue reading →

Fatal Explosion

Dissolved filter separator cap ignites at Austrian natural gas plant A fatal explosion at an Austrian natural gas facility caused one death and left at least 18 others injured Tuesday. The plant’s operator—Gas Connect—is a major natural gas distributor for several European countries. Countries including Italy, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia are connected via the […]

Continue reading →

Diehard Fans

New industrial floor fans! Wait…in winter?  Ah, California. One of the few places in the United States with the luxury of marketing air conditioning products year-round. While a majority of the country is more likely to be scrambling for space heaters this time of year, one L.A.-area-based company is churning out a new line of […]

Continue reading →