NEMA Currents Blog

Bad News on Jobs

Even as numerous indicators suggest that the economy is emerging from recession, one of the most important of all continues to worsen. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the unemployment rate rose to 10.2% in October (subscription required), its highest since April 1983. Statistics like...

Published Fri, Nov 06 2009 9:16 PM by Gill, Tim

Filed under: Economy

Touting "No Layoff" Companies

Economic times are tough for all U.S. manufacturers, and many have had to lay off employees. But some advanced manufacturing facilities have opted not to fire anyone, event if it means switching their roles until production picks back up. You can count NEMA members among the companies that are keeping...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 9:45 AM by golds

Filed under: Economy, manufacturing

Hope for Faster Permitting in Siting Transmission Corridors

The federal government took steps recently to speed up the approval process for electricity transmission lines. Or at least, to speed up the permitting on federal lands. An agreement between the White House and eight federal agencies puts one agency in charge of the cumbersome process of approving transmission...

Published Tue, Nov 03 2009 1:00 PM by golds

Filed under: Smart Grid

It's Time to Consider Nano-Electrotechnology Standards

If they haven't already started, NEMA Sections need to be forward thinking and begin working with the U.S. TAG's that represent their products in the IEC to create a road map for integrating nanotechnology standards that will compliment the end-product standards in the appropriate IEC Technical...

Published Tue, Nov 03 2009 11:29 AM by leibowitzm

Filed under: Nanotechnology, Emerging Technologies

Congressional Unveiling of Major Energy Savings and Carbon Reduction...

Do you want to save 4.48-7.95 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon annually (equivalent to removing approximately between 3-5.4 million automobiles annually)? Do you want to save 25 to 42 Terawatt hours (billion kWh) per year (equivalent to 3 to 6 nuclear power plants or 6 to 10 coal-fired plants)? Do...

Published Tue, Nov 03 2009 9:22 AM by Hansen, Dain

Filed under: Energy Efficiency, General, Electrical Grid, Environment, Regulation, renewable energy, electricity, economic stimulus, Emerging Technologies, climate change, Energy Resources, Congress, manufacturing, energy

A Plug-in Pilot

I just heard about The EV Project , which officially launched last month. The Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), using a $99.8 million grant from DOE, plans to install 11,210 chargers for electric vehicles in five states. During the 36-month project, chargers will be installed in...

Published Mon, Nov 02 2009 2:44 PM by goodwina

Filed under: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Standardization

One Step at a Time

This week we saw something that hadn’t happened in over a year: growth in real GDP. Indeed, real GDP expanded 3.5 percent on an annualized basis during the third quarter, bolstered by consumer spending, business equipment spending, housing construction and exports. In a bit of a statistical quirk...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 3:07 PM by Lego, Brian

Filed under: Economics, economic stimulus

Thermostat Recycling Corporation Increases Awareness and Participation

Do you recycle? Are you interested in recycling? Questions like these encouraged a wide variety of answers at the 2009 Ace Hardware Convention in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend. The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) participated in this massive expo for Ace Hardware retailers with one goal in...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 12:45 PM by Bilicki, Bobby

Filed under: Education and Training, recycling, thermostats

Spreading Smart Grid Across North America

As evidence of NEMA's continued influence in international markets, the Commerce Department announced this week that our organization received one of five new Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards for 2010-2013. This is NEMA's second MDCP award from Commerce -- the first, which...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 8:53 AM by golds

Filed under: Smart Grid, Trade

AFCI’s - A Little Opposition Can be Good

Each cycle of State adoptions of the National Electrical Code ® tends to focus on a couple of key changes in the NEC. For NEC 2008 those key changes are Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) and tamper proof receptacles. Surprisingly this is having significant benefits for the electrical industry...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 3:40 PM by Winstanley, Gerard

Filed under: AFCI, Fire Safety, Tamper Resistant Receptacles, 2008 NEC

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