February 21, 2012 - Your smart phone uses broadband to connect you to the world but, when charging it, you’re relying on an electrical system that was designed and built in the era of the rotary phone. Because these systems are becoming outdated, too much electricity is slipping between our fingers, even as politicians highlight the need for “energy security”. Plus, generating power to keep up with increasing demand is getting harder because communities oppose new plants in their backyard.

January 27, 2012 - CommScope has developed a copper-alternative grounding wire designed to deter copper theft and lower maintenance costs for telecoms and data applications. The GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel solution has been intended for use in subsurface grounding grids, as well as inside and outside plant bonding applications. According to the company, the solution makes it less susceptible to theft by increasing the resistance to cutting and drastically decreasing the scrap value. It can be jacketed with a polyethylene coating and printed to disguise and distinguish the wire from solid copper alternatives.

COMMSCOPE

January 24, 2012 - Newfoundland Power is asking the general public to be on the lookout for individuals vandalizing the province’s electricity system. Recent acts of vandalism involved stripping copper grounding wire attached to high-voltage powerlines in the Argentia area. Needless to say, this activity creates a serious safety risk for Newfoundland Power employees, contractors, the general public and the thieves themselves.