Criticism of photovoltaic (PV) is usually based on the conflict between efficiency and subsidies. When evaluating efficiency, however, all factors have to be accounted for. The ‘true’ costs that Friedman is referring to are even more difficult to quantify in the post-Fukushima era. The costs caused by climate change are also rarely taken into account in efficiency calculations. [ + ]

The term ‘docking systems’ might not mean much to most readers. Perhaps they would think of their laptop, which is placed on to a docking station, or they might think of an airplane that docks. [ + ]

A developer once told me, "I throw out the connectors wherever possible. They take up space, they cost money and they are one of the main causes for device failures." The man was right. But: globally, there are more than 2000 connector manufacturers, there are more than 200 completely different basic series (D-SUB, RJ45, USB, DIN cylindrical connector, etc) and there are individual manufacturers who produce more than 10,000, 50,000 or even 100,000 different models. Then why? Because such a wide variety of connectors is necessary! [ + ]

The following discussion gives a brief explanation of some of the highlights and features of connectors in medical technology, and also a few examples. [ + ]

Installing GE Lighting LED solutions at its Bethesda, Maryland headquarters will save Marriott International 860,000 kWh of electricity and more than $120,000 in combined energy and maintenance costs each year. The installation included nearly 45 acres - or 185,000 m² - of parking and garage space and eight floors of internal lighting. [ + ]

With the rapid developments in PON/GPON technologies, equipment manufacturer of gigabit passive optical network (GPON) equipment Cambridge Industries Group (CIG) needed to significantly shorten product release cycle times and address the high volume and complex testing requirements of GPON. [ + ]

Network Test has completed the industry’s first public 1536 port 10 G ethernet test of QFabric, Juniper Networks’ data centre network fabric, using Spirent’s HyperMetrics dX test module. This independent test reflects real-world data centre set-ups, with millions of application flows between any set of ports, and has important implications for cloud computing, storage and financial applications such as high-frequency trading and big data analytics. [ + ]

For a northern Arizona resort, supplementing Mother Nature with manufactured snow provides a predictable ski season that could inject millions of dollars into the local economy. Controlled wirelessly, roughly 5.5 million litres of reclaimed effluent water from a nearby city would be needed daily to blanket the arid climate in fresh snow. [ + ]

WorkCover NSW has issued a Safety Alert for working on electrical circuits in conduits, reminding electrical workers of the dangers of cutting electrical conduits that are in service as the conduits may contain multiple circuits. [ + ]

Wanganui District Council has installed 14 LED fittings from GE Lighting on the Wanganui City Bridge. The new fittings are estimated to save the council NZ$9000 over their life, giving a payback period of 6.2 years. [ + ]

Philips Dynalite recently installed 1700 energy-efficient lights as well as more than 58 km of electrical cabling, 1200 fire sprinklers and 240 solar panels in the iconic and heritage building, Sydney Town Hall. The project required a sensitive solution that not only showcased the beauty of the building but respected its historic significance. [ + ]

ABB has won an order to build six substations for GoldLinQ, Queensland’s first light rail system. [ + ]

Privately held Australian commercial contractor D&M Electrical Communications deployed energy-efficient electrical systems for the refurbishment of Westside Hotel in Dubbo, New South Wales. This included main supply and installation of switchboard, distribution boards, all lighting, power, emergency systems, data and C-Bus controls. [ + ]

During flood conditions, electrical hazards pose dangerous risks and can be fatal. Master Electricians Australia CEO Malcolm Richards is warning contractors about getting in over their heads doing floodwater repairs. [ + ]

Currently in Australia, there is no regulated surge protection standard. It is not compulsory to fit surge protection. This means that your electrical equipment may be relying on the upstream protection that simply doesn’t exist to do most of the work in handling harmful surge events. Installing surge protection before your electrical equipment also makes sound economic sense as it increases the longevity of your investment. The cost is really small compared to your investment. [ + ]