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With the dramatic increase in electrical vehicle (EV) production over the course of the last five years, the need for a more aggressive rollout of charging stations across developed nations has become imperative. There are more than five million electrical vehicles on the roads and this number increases significantly every year. The hinderances to more widespread electrical vehicle ownership has come down to a few specific roadblocks involving mileage between charges and the availability of charging stations. Areas like California are putting forth aggressive measures to reduce emissions within their state by favoring electrical vehicles, and have recently started initiatives to completely eliminate gas-powered vehicles within the next few decades. As public sentiment moves more towards acceptance of electrical vehicles as the preferential form of transportation, companies like Tesla have been improving their customer experiences by creating their own solutions to charging station shortages and battery capacities. Through the development of innovative technologies that improve these products on an individual level, the path is cleared for other companies to follow and develop innovations as well. Collective efforts are fast-tracking the expected widespread adoption of electrical vehicles as the preferential mode of transportation. (more…)

When lightning strikes a structure, there is an immediate high voltage shock.  The electrical surge is so fast and so intense, that without adequate protection for the blades, internal and external electronic components and framework, there is a near guarantee that damage will be suffered.

Wind turbines are subjected to some of the harshest climate conditions available, and are especially susceptible to damage as a result of lightning strikes.  Without direct strike protection installed on the turbine blades, or insufficient earthing or transient protection, the costs to windfarm operators for the repair and replacement of equipment is significant each year, contributing directly to the costs that must be passed off to consumers in the forms of higher rates.  While strikes to blades are quite difficult to avoid and manage, the over-voltage transients that occur after both direct strikes to structures and coupling from strikes to nearby objects are able to be prevented from producing damage if adequately protected with industrial SPDs. (more…)

All businesses operate on a relatively simple premise, to bring in more in revenues than is put out. This profit motive is the driving force behind most businesses, with the additional motivations of doing good for the community by providing essential services or goods. The balance of bringing in more in revenue than is spent in the operations of the business must be maintained if the business is to continue functioning, and this balance is extremely difficult to maintain in industries that are subjected to potentially damaging circumstances that cannot be predicted. All these types of operations can do is to plan for the expenses that will come with damage, and work towards minimizing these damages through preventive measures. Industries like the cellular network space, energy production and almost any other business that positions high tech equipment in the field must take all possible steps to minimize equipment damage due to the fact that their competition is continually squeezing margins to smaller levels, essentially creating the need for more expensive equipment while also charging less to customers. It is a difficult balance to achieve, but surge protection devices are helping stabilize the situation for many businesses. (more…)

When considering the different aspects of a business, one generally thinks about profits and losses due to sales, the costs of operation and the costs of startup. In order to keep a business running, business owners must balance all of these aspects in a way that keeps more money coming in than flowing out. From the business standpoint, many companies that provide services to customers have a relatively simple model, just make enough in new revenues or cut enough expenses to keep the operations profitable over time, and earn enough extra to pay down any debt that was incurred during the creation and operation of the business. When it comes to companies that provide services that may be mission critical, which is those that are necessary to maintain and sustain if not ways of life then maybe that life itself may depend, there is added pressure to make sure that the business systems remain operational. (more…)

Wind turbines are isolated towers that are very tall and which utilize sensitive electronic equipment for their functionality. Just by their very nature they are at a constant threat from lightning damage. In order to mitigate the risks to the structure, the best line of defense is a properly installed and functioning lightning protection system which has the capacity to intercept the lightning and subsequent surge, and safely conduct it to the earth. As wind turbine systems become more and more sophisticated, their vulnerability to lightning strikes is compounded. The systems which protect these structures from lightning generally will cost less than 1% of the total operational cost of the turbine, while improving both the reliability and cost effectiveness. (more…)

The renewable energy industry is made up primarily of solar, wind and hydroelectric plants. These facilities convert free energy sources into electricity for public consumption, and provide the exact same product as the fossil fuel industry. The differences between the two are that the burning of fossil fuels in order to produce electricity produces particulate matter that is dispersed into the atmosphere and affects the air we breathe and the environment we live in, while renewable energy has no associated particulate matter to speak of. There are also costs associated with the fuel sources in fossil fuel energy production, as the materials that must be burned are finite and have a cost to purchase or mine them. There are no associated costs with renewable sources as the wind, sun and flowing water are free to harness. There is little debate as far as the environmental impact that fossil fuels have, and although there is disagreement as to the extent of that impact everyone agrees that comparatively renewable energy sources do not cause the same harm to the earth’s climate. So why then is there still a tendency for world governments to rely primarily on fossil fuels instead of expanding their access to renewable energy? The answer is cost. (more…)

Raycap has produced a proprietary line of surge protection devices which do not need to be replaced after they have performed their task of diverting the surge that follows a lightning strike. The electrical surge that either couples into attached power lines and structures, or travels directly through those lines from the strike point to any connected component is often one of the leading causes of damage to sensitive electronics at industrial installations. In many cases, these electronic components are not only sensitive but quite expensive, having been tasked with the computerized operation of the facility itself. Damage to equipment at the point of strike may not be avoided effectively, but damage that results from the overloading of circuitry in attached components does have the ability to be minimized, if not halted all together. Electrical surge surge damage is often a major factor in the cost of operations of modern industrial facilities, green energy included. (more…)

Industrial applications of nearly all types will benefit from the installation and integration of lightning protection systems throughout their facilities. While some may think that lightning protection is limited to the diversion of a lightning strike away from the facility and to a specifically designed attractant like a lightning rod or grounding system, in reality the function of lightning protection extends to other areas such as the protection against lightning surges. Upon casual analysis of the components involved in most modern industrial facilities, one will quickly realize that the damages produced at the strike area itself are actually minimal compared to the costs that can be associated with the power surges that those strikes produce. The degrading or even complete destruction of computerized equipment, data and communications components and general circuitry by lightning surge events provides enormous costs to companies. These costs can be avoided, even if a direct strike to an industrial facility is difficult to avoid. Through the installation of strategically positioned surge protection devices (SPDs) the degradation and destruction of attached electronic components can be minimized or even prevented. (more…)

Lightning protectors are devices that are installed into technical systems to protect downstream equipment from the associated electrical surges that follow a lightning strike.  The concept is to prevent an electrical surge from traveling through power lines that connect an exposed unit and the computerized, data processing equipment and additional mechanisms that control that unit.  As an example, a cell tower would serve as the “end unit,” being completely exposed to the elements and isolated by its natural design.  (more…)