Information

Misunderstandings of lightning and weather events can cause some people to fail to realize the importance of surge protection with regard to solar fields and energy production systems.  Alternative or “green” energy systems are understood to be primarily solar, wind and hydro-electric, with each using a completely renewable and free fuel source to create electrical power.  While lightning strike threats are obvious when it comes to wind farms  (often the tallest structure in an area), many fail to recognize that solar farms can also be in danger of lightning damage, even though they are typically lower to the ground and sitting nearly flat.  Solar installations are not immune to lightning strike damage because they do cover wide expanses and are exposed to the elements. When there is a lighting strike near a solar site chances are it will affect one or more of the panels themselves.  The damage that is sustained at the strike point itself is hard to avoid, but the real problems are actually a result of the resulting power surge.  This is why solar surge protection is so crucial to the profitability of solar power producers, as an important cost of doing business lies in the repair and replacement of damaged equipment. (more…)

Wind Farm Lightning Protection Solutions

Insurance risk to wind farms is a hotly contested issue, and the underwriting of insurance policies to cover losses to wind power producers is quite an involved process.  This is due to the multiple forms of damage that typically will befall wind power producers, generally categorized into two sections: property and mechanical.  Each type of damage will result in losses, but the types of losses that are typical have very different frequencies and therefore have to have very different types of insurance policies to back them. (more…)

Street Cabinets For Equipment Protection

Information technology is the force behind industrial control and distribution equipment used in the telecommunications or energy industries, and improving system functionality and protecting the investment is of primary importance, especially when it comes to sensitive systems. While “computer issues” are always a concern in any business, there are ways that sensitive systems can be protected from elements and the dangers and expenses associated with downtime.  One example of this is the advanced “street cabinet,” which is essentially a reinforced box with heat dissipation capabilities and protection from small creatures or rodents. It is within which this environment that outside telecom or utility equipment can be placed in order to be protected.  Street cabinets are generally used where it is necessary to place expensive and sensitive equipment — used in a process either at street level or in public spaces — into an environment where it is protected from exposure to potentially damaging circumstances.  These cabinets can be manufactured from a variety of materials and can come in a variety of forms, but the general purpose is the same, to protect the sensitive equipment that is inside while allowing it to function properly.

Advanced street cabinets manufactured by Raycap provide the necessary protection to computerized or electrical equipment placed in public spaces that could be damaged due to this placement.  This damage will generally occur through a variety of situations ranging from being struck by lightning to rodent infestation, or vandalism, and as a result they must be tough enough to withstand penetration from a number of causes.  If a cabinet were to be struck by lightning and it was made from a protective material that could conduct electricity, it would almost certainly assure the destruction of all equipment inside.  For this reason, Raycap street cabinets are constructed of high strength aluminum and plastic materials that will not enable the surge produced by a lightning strike to couple into attachments or connection points.  The points where wiring must exit the cabinets are reinforced through specialized grommets or other sealing devices in order to minimize the exposure points that would allow for moisture and air leak, both of which can have devastating effects on running equipment.  At the same time, ventilation systems are integrated that will allow for air transfer in order to prevent overheating of equipment due to the enclosed and sealed nature of the structure.  A balance between climate control internally and protection externally is the best defense that industry has to protect their investments in the field.  Raycap is a leader in manufacturing the technologically advanced cabinets necessary to provide that protection.

Raycap’s street cabinets have been the choice of leading industry decision makers for years, and are the logical choice for those tasked with extending the useful life span of equipment used in numerous industries.  The reduction of expense with regard to operations is one of the most important tasks that must be attended to in order to maintain profitability as well as online status.  Raycap is dedicated to providing its customers with the most advanced solutions available, ranging from integrated surge protection devices to the cabinets that hold the computers.  Contact a representative today to find out more.

Solar Surge Protection Systems

Solar power production has grown significantly over the course of the past decade, both in the form of industrialized systems that produce for communities as well as individual systems that are available for residential usage.  The growing widespread adoption of solar power systems to produce consumable energy can be attributed on the industrial level to the fact that is has the ability to not only generate cleaner power with less environmental impact, but also has the ability to generate less expensive power as technology improves.  The adoption of solar power systems on the residential level has to do with the ability to generate power for your own consumption yourself, and the availability of sunlight as a fuel source in far more situations that other sources like running water or even wind. Quite simply, solar power production is the future and will improve the communities that it is adopted within, producing necessary electricity in more widespread applications with less environmental impact than any of the other forms. (more…)

 Nearly every industry has become more technologically advanced over the past decades, and there is not nearly a single business that is not reliant upon computers for some portion of their operations.  Due to this move into the technology space even by  industries that would not seem to need to be technologically advanced, the increasing need for equipment protection becomes even more important.  The things that everyday consumers take for granted are generally tied to computerized systems in one form or another, and the only time that this dependence becomes apparent is when the system is no longer available.  When your power goes out, or when you cannot get a cell phone signal, you are being indirectly affected by a system that is probably controlled by computers, and you are witnessing in real time the need for protection systems to be in place. (more…)

Overvoltage Protection From Raycap

Within numerous industries that rely on the installation and ongoing operation of high tech equipment, the integration of overvoltage protection serves as one of the most important cost saving measures that can be undertaken.  It is through these integrations that the technological components of businesses are able to function for longer timeframes as well as extended lifespans.  The greatest threat to computer equipment is electrical surges that overwhelm the limitations of circuitry, and damage as a result of these overvoltage incidents can only be prevented by never allowing the surge to reach its potential destination.  Raycap creates and manufactures the technology that does just that.

While any component that is connected to an electrical supply line is potentially in danger of being the victim of an overvoltage event caused by any of the millions of electrical surges that happen every day, equipment in the field is far more at risk.  Your home computer can be effected by a power surge that destroys internal circuitry if the regulated flow of electricity to your home is allowed to escalate.  This will generally be as a result of some failure in the power supply chain, and is actually quite common.  For this reason, computer manufacturers suggest keeping surge protection devices in between the power supply to your home and your computer, so as to be able to cut the flow if there is a spike in current.  The same premise is true of the millions of dollars worth of equipment that sits on industrial sites worldwide, each and every piece being easily damaged by the slightest surge of electricity past the limitations of the circuitry.  The main differences between industrial surge protection and residential is that the levels of electricity that power industrial sites are far greater, and at the same time the equipment faces threats that are not typically seen in residential applications.  As an example, the alternative energy industries consist of components that are completely exposed to the elements, and through their very nature they are targets for lightning strikes.  These exposed components are directly connected via power lines and structures to equipment that is quite sensitive, and which would be damaged by the electrical surge that would be coupled into these lines by the lightning strikes that are so common.  Without industrial overvoltage protection installed at critical points on the supply line, as well as at redundant points within the structure itself, any strike to a solar panel or a wind turbine would destroy far mare equipment and cause far more damage than that which is produced by the lightning strike itself.  Strikes to cellular towers would destroy equipment between the RRH unit and the BSU.  Through keeping these circuits not only protected from damage but continuing to function even after a strike, systems of communication and critical production are kept online.

Overvoltage protection for industrial installations is not only achievable but is critical to the operation of modern systems in nearly every industry, and Raycap is leading the field in nearly all of them.  Contact a representative today to learn more about how Raycap’s unique line of SPDs can benefit your business.

The solar power industry is not unique in that the ultimate product being created is electricity that is used to power homes and businesses.  The production method itself is what sets it apart from other industries that produce the same product.  In the past, fuel sources were needed to be exhausted or burned, ultimately turning generators which produced electricity.  These types of fuel sources were generally naturally occurring elements that were mined or harvested from the earth.  Alternative energy uses naturally occurring fuel sources which do not need to be burned in order to be utilized in the same process, generally consisting of wind, water and sun.  These elements are harvested and used in processes which ultimately turn turbines and produce electricity without destroying them or producing by-products like pollution or waste.  In the case of solar, the sun’s heat is gathered on technologically advanced panels which heats liquid in tubes attached to the panels.  The expansion of this liquid turns turbines to produce electricity.  While this is a very basic portrayal of the process, the main takeaway is that the fuel source used is both clean and free. (more…)