EPS Magazine May 2014 Issue

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CONTENTS

PUBLISHER

Danny J. Salchert OFFICE MANAGER

Anita Salchert ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Jerry DiChiara jerryd@epsmag.net CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Derek Gaylard CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Pam Fulmer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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Charles Argenziano • Scott M. Margolin Kevin Eagan • Rob Masinter

FEATURES 6 12

Today’s New Loggers

By Charles Argenziano

All 8 cal Garments Are Not Created Equal The Facts Behind Arc Ratings and HRC Levels

By Scott M. Margolin

18

By Kevin Eagan

A Guide to Choosing Commercial Inverters Finding the Right System For a Successful Solar Project

By Rob Masinter

DEPARTMENTS 28 34 40

Industry News Product Focus Ad Index

ON THE COVER Cover photography courtesy of Hioki

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Executive and Advertising Offices 3591 Cahaba Beach Road Birmingham, AL 35242 toll free: 800.981.4541 phone: 205.981.4541 fax: 205.981.4544 www.epsmag.net • danny@epsmag.net

NAILD 37 Years of Commitment to the Lighting Distributor

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PRESIDENT

Danny J. Salchert

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

Electrical Products & Solutions™ is published twelve times a year on a monthly basis by ABD Communications, Inc., 3591 Cahaba Beach Road, Birmingham, Alabama, 35242, USA. Electrical Products & Solutions™ is distributed free to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscription rates are $57.00 per year in the U.S. and Canada and $84.00 per year for foreign subscribers (surface mail). U.S. Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama and additional mailing offices.

Electrical Products & Solutions™ is distributed to qualified readers in the electrical contracting industry. Publisher is not liable for all content (including editorial and illustrations provided by advertisers) of advertisements published and does not accept responsibility for any claims made against the publisher. It is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility to obtain appropriate releases on any item or individuals pictured in an advertisement. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ABD Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 382885 Birmingham, Alabama 35238-2885 PRINTED IN THE USA

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FEATURE • Hioki

Today’s New Loggers

By Charles Argenziano

D

ata Loggers are taking on a whole new look in today’s market. Some are the size of match books and some take up huge racks, but many of the units of the past all need to be hard wired and near the area where the tests need to be made. Data loggers of the past were basically used to monitor low voltage levels with very little isolation between channels. Remember those noisy relays you use to hear when they were first introduced, now everything is solid state. They were slow in their scan speed, and weren’t the most dependable when doing long term measurements.

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They had no memory or only a few kilobytes if any at all and only the very expensive units had serial output to get some raw data out.

With the new technology that we have today with these new loggers such as the Hioki LR8410-20 all kinds of different signals can be monitor such as current, temperature, humidity, pressure, load, flow rates and such. Separate trigger points can be set for each channel, engineering units can be set for independent channels, alarms, scaling functions and so on. These new units now have LAN and USB ports built into them, can stream the data di-

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

rectly to SD cards or external hard drives and PCs. Also if you needed to monitor a large area spread over hundreds of feet you need multiple units which were also a problem.

How can we accomplish this? How can we monitor signals such as temperature, humidity, sensors, up high such as Warehouse, Silos, Attics or long distances?

How can we collect signals from multiple points around a building, while keeping the data synchronized so the data can be compared on the same time axis? Monitoring multiple burn-in racks or ovens all coming into one main Continued on page 8

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FEATURE • Hioki

Continued from page 6

monitored. The data is then sent wirelessly from the Hioki logging modules to the Hioki Wireless Logging station in real time mode. The data can then be stored directly to logger’s internal memory or saved to its removable SD card.

Wireless Logger

logging station can become costly. Monitoring signals in multiple railcars, turbine performance, pressure, loads, flow rates and temperature variations during operation.

Up until now, multiple loggers had to be used, lengthy and costly wire runs had to be made while trying to keep the induced noise, degraded signal due to cable loss to a minimum. This becomes extremely costly and most of the time the data from these signals become error ridden when it does work.

With the introduction of the new Wireless Loggers that are being introduced such as the Hioki LR8410-20 Logger, logging Multi-Point data has never been so easy. Wireless technology makes it possible to log data in applications where it would have been difficult to use a conventional logger, such as high locations where wiring would be difficult or inside secured control panels. The separate logging modules can be placed right next the systems to be measured reducing the connection complexities.

Individual low cost wireless logging station using Bluetooth® technology are placed near the devices that need to be 8

Hioki Application Fix

One LR8410-20 Logging Collector and Seven LR8511 Logger modules with 15 Needs to monitor the Voltage, Current, channels per modules. Setup time is less Temperature, and Humidity on multiple than one day.

High Voltage Fuel Cell Stacks. Using the Hioki LR8410-20 Logger, Humidity Sen- Application 3: Wheel Chair sor, Current Clamps are connected to the Battery Discharge Rate cell under test and the inputs a scaled and Customer needs to monitor battery disengineering units are entered so the logger charge rate, over time, movement and displays the appropriate readings. Ther- wheel chair load. Using one Hioki data mocouples are placed on the fuel cell stack logger manufacture runs a test on one to measure the temperature of the cells wheel chair at a time to get information with the logger doing the cold junction such as DC voltage, current, discharge compensation. What is also important to rate, rotation of wheels, load and runtime. realize that there is a potential of high volt- Mounting the older Hioki 8421 series data age on these stacks that does not affect the logger the unit was able to capture this inloggers accuracy and measurements. Also formation store it to a compact flash card the need to monitor multiple fuel cell then later loaded onto a PC for evaluation. stacks at one time makes this a simple task Using the new Hioki LR8410-20 Logging for the Hioki LR8410-20 by putting system the manufacture mounted the LR8500 logger modules next to each fuel LR8510 logger modules with rechargeable cell stack and having the modules com- battery packs on multiple wheel chairs. municate back using its Bluetooth® tech- These units communicated back via Bluetooth® to the main LR8410-20 Logging nology.

Collector with the same data that one unit APPLICATION 2: Monitoring collector only on multiple wheel chairs at Ovens for Manufacturing the same time. This only them to run mulFacility tiple test at once saving valuable time and Seven Ovens needed to be monitored, allow them to compare different products with 12 channels of temperature and hu- immediately by super imposing signals midity in each oven. Eight, Twelve chan- next to each other in real time. This saved nels loggers would need to be installed, the valuable time and money plus it allow and then hard wired back to a central PC them to show their large supplies some workstation. Problem 1, data is not syn- major differences between products. chronized across all ovens. Problem 2, individual cabling needs to be run to each Conclusion logger in a not so friendly area. Problem When choosing an instrument today 3, cost of each logger with appropriate in- look at the newer loggers that are offered today. With the scan speeds that are in the millisecond range for multiple channels, the scaling features, trigger functions with pre-trigger capability, Arithmetic and numerical value calculation these units are well worth taking a look at. Plus many of these units have Event search functions to while data is being collected or after you data has been saved. Logger Utility PC Based software is also available to evaluate the data after it has been collected.

View past data during recording and output this data to a printer to generate graphs Noise tried to share and report. terface is high.Induced Customer ❏

Application 1: Fuel Cell Testing

Hard Wired Logger

one logger for every two ovens, but wiring individual channels became a problem with cable run and induce noise. Setup time approximately ten days.

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

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FEATURE • Westex

All 8 cal Garments Are Not Created Equal The Facts Behind Arc Ratings and HRC Levels

By Scott M. Margolin

A

s a safety professional who is likely trying to do more work with fewer resources, it can be very tempting to look at a compliance standard and think “Great, that’s easy. I’ll accept any fabric that complies, and then I can move on to another task.”

However, it can also be a very risky decision, because consensus standards are in12

tended to be inclusive, not exclusive, and as a result tend to set a low bar. Additionally, very few people take the time to truly understand what a given standard is really measuring, and thus almost always assume more (and sometimes MUCH more) meaning or performance assurance than is warranted; unfortunately, this dynamic is extremely Continued on page 14

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FEATURE • Westex

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common in arc flash protection.

NFPA 70E, and the ASTM F-1959 standard on which it relies for arc ratings, are both excellent standards which save lives on a daily basis. The emphasis on de-energizing wherever possible, recognition of the catastrophic or fatal effect of arc flash on flammable clothing, and the requirement for flame resistant, arc rated clothing whose protection levels exceed the hazard were seminal changes in electrical safety.

However, the world has evolved toward the view that any garment with an arc rating over 8 cals, or an HRC 2 label, is equal, or nearly equal, and sufficient to meet their needs. This is inaccurate and potentially dangerous, and folks who spend a little time reading the standard and thinking about what it really measures and reports, and what conclusions can be drawn from that, are often in for quite a shock.

The major disconnect between common assumptions and reality encompasses both safety issues and financial/administrative issues. On the safety side the primary concerns are type of arc rating (ATPV vs Ebt), durability of FR properties, and laundering amount and method; the financial/administrative issues include shrinkage, comfort, and service life.

Many people are not aware that all arc ratings are NOT the same; two 8.7 cal ratings, for example, can mean two very different things. Arc rating is reported as either ATPV (arc thermal performance value) or Ebt (Energy to Breakopen threshold), whichever is the lower value. ATPV essentially predicts the energy level below which a second degree burn is unlikely through the fabric, meaning what it really measures is insulation. In other words, a fabric which earns an ATPV of 8.7 will be intact at that energy level, and no second degree burn would be expected at lower energies.

However, a fabric whose arc rating is Ebt breaks open at lower levels than second degree burns occur; this means that the same 8.7 arc rating, if it is an Ebt, will show fabric breakopen at or just above that energy level. Of course, breakopen will expose skin or flammable underlayers to the arc and molten metal. This is an obvious problem conceptually, but in practice it’s an even larger issue than one might expect, because of the performance gap between the major several ATPV fabrics and all Ebt fabrics . It turns out that the most popular arc 14

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

rated fabric types (the original FR cotton brand and the original meta-aramid, together responsible for greater than 80% of the FR fabric market) both earn ATPVs, and both break open at roughly twice their arc ratings. This sets up a situation where one can have two shirts, of two different fabrics, with identical arc ratings of (for instance) 8.7; each complies and would seem to do so with identical protection. However, the 8.7 ATPV will remain intact up through about 16+ calories, while the 8.7 Ebt will break open at or about 8.8 calories. Think about the margin of error that implies: one fabric can take almost 100% additional energy above its arc rating and remain intact, while the other breaks open immediately above its rating, exposing skin and/or flammable undergarments. The conclusion is obvious: all arc ratings are NOT created equal. Take the time to do the research and understand the implications before selecting fabric brands.

The second big surprise behind the arc rating curtain involves durability of flame resistance. The ASTM F-1959 standard tests fabrics that have been washed three times and dried once; that is not a misprint; three washes. Thus, the standard does a great job of telling us how well a fabric performs when new, but nothing at all about durability of its FR properties. Surprised?

Many people are, and as a result they specify ASTM F-1506, which among its other requirements tests for flammability after 25 launderings. Twenty-five is clearly better than three, but in common programs where the garments are worn during the week and laundered on the weekend, this represents only 6 months usage. FR garments typically last 2-5 years.

We are now out of arc flash FR durability standards, and this gap leads some people to cite a flash fire standard called NFPA 2112, which has a 100 laundering requirement. On its face, that may seem sufficient.

However, a closer look at the details reveals otherwise. First of all, 100 launderings is roughly 2 years, which is still well below common service life. Second, fabric samples are self-submitted for testing, so any reasonably intelligent company will only submit something they already know will pass…but which may (and often does) bear no resemblance whatsoever to what they produce in commercial scale weeks or months later. Thirdly, the laundering is Continued on page 16 done under perfect

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FEATURE • Westex

Continued from page 14

conditions (load, water chemistry, temperature, etc) which are gentler, and often far gentler, than real world washing. As a result, we regularly see fabrics which pass 2112 fail in more aggressive and realistic conditions. Absent a third-party standard on FR durability, most people opt to select and specify market-proven products.

There are a few financial and/or administrative issues to consider as well.

Shrinkage is the most common of these, and can present a safety hazard as well as a financial one. Excessive shrinkage can expose skin, flammable underlayers, or result in enough size change that a garment becomes unwearable. Shrinkage control by preshrinking fabric is difficult, particularly for most FR cottons. Even where possible it is expensive; imagine a machine, typically the last machine in the process, which causes 10% of your inventory to literally disappear forever.

However, if the fabric manufacturer doesn’t pay for the shrinkage, you will.

Cheap FR cottons are cheap for a reason,

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Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

and shrinkage is often a big piece of the story. It is much less expensive in the long run to make the shrinkage investment up front, on quality fabrics, rather than down the road, in garment form.

Given this deeper understanding of what’s behind arc ratings, it’s clear that all HRC 2 or >8 cal garments are not the same.

There are hidden issues that lead to significant or even critical performance gaps between fabric that have similar or identical ratings. It is therefore very important to look beyond mere arc ratings and ask whether the rating is ATPV or Ebt, to ensure the FR durability is market-proven over time, and that there haven’t been significant or ongoing problems with shrinkage. It is almost always a better idea to invest a little more time and money to identify and specify proven, quality fabrics up front, rather than to pay for mistakes of haste or omission later. ❏

Scott M. Margolin is the International Technical Director for Westex.

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FEATURE • NAILD

NAILD

37 Years of Commitment to the

By Kevin Eagan

T

Lighting Distributor

he National Association of Independent Lighting Distributors (NAILD) was founded in 1977 by a small group of distributors who wanted to join forces and promote the Independent Lighting Distributor. Today there are over 100 active members who recognize the great value each of their organizations receives for their investment. The membership now consists of Lighting Distributors, full-line Electrical Distributors with Lighting Divisions and Manufacturers.

In 2011 NAILD created an Associate Member category. Qualified Associate Members are organizations involved in the lighting industry that are not distributors or manufacturers, but whose inclusion in the membership would benefit both NAILD and the Associate Member. Typical candidates for Associate Membership would be Manufacturers Reps, Lighting Maintenance Contractors or Consultants.

The 2014 NAILD Conference celebrated 37 years of promoting independent lighting distributors throughout the United States and Canada. It was held at the Hyatt Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale on April 6-9. The conference continued its tradition of Education, Networking and Technology. This year the education sessions were focused on the emerging LED technologies.

Other sessions involved charging customers for services that other distributors give away and drawing talented people into your organization.

The main objectives of NAILD are: • Increase the effectiveness and profitability of the lighting distributor through educational programs

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and networking with like-minded members.

• Develop marketing strategies and programs to improve membership awareness and to gain participation in supplier marketing programs.

• Promote the importance and benefits of effective and efficient lighting.

The educational opportunities provided by NAILD have become the primary focus of the membership.

In recent years NAILD has developed the LS I Education Program to provide basic lighting training for the members and their staff. NAILD is now offering this extraordinary program to non-members. LS I is an eight module program that was designed to quickly educate employees on the basic concepts of lighting.

Distributors, Manufacturers Reps, Lighting Maintenance Contractors and Property Managers can all benefit from training their Customer Service and Warehouse staff, as well as new sales or maintenance employees that do not have a lighting background.

The LS I program starts with a basic philosophy that the student should take personal responsibility for their own learning. It was designed to increase the student’s confidence and competence in light and lighting. The class is completed online within 6 months at a pace that the student is comfortable with. A Coach is available to each student to guide them through the process.

The course consists of: • Eight online modules available on-demand.

• Workbook activities for each module designed to reContinued on page 20 inforce the content of the modules.

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

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FEATURE • NAILD

Continued from page 18

• Hands-on exercises that allow the student to practice what they have learned.

• Module quizzes – ten questions that help the student ensure retention of the material.

• Final Exam – a two part review of what the student now understands about light and lighting. The exam consists of multiple choice questions and case studies.

For more advanced Lighting Education, NAILD has also created the LS II program. NAILD LS II is available to all individuals who have successfully completed the NAILD LS I course. The focus of LS I is on the basics of lighting and technology. LS II focuses on how to apply those lighting principles at your customer’s facilities. NAILD LS II is a tool to help move you and your staff from the role of “product provider” to the role of “solution provider” In addition to the online training programs, NAILD also offers many other educational opportunities to its members.

There is a monthly program called “A Light Lunch” which is an online, hour long discussion group. It covers a topic of interest to the membership and is moderated by either a member or an outside expert on the topic. NAILD also produces a weekly email blast called “A Light Read” that covers lighting, current events affecting the lighting industry and business related topics of interest.

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Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

OTHER BENEFITS NAILD members can become an Energy Star partner with their NAILD membership. This permits the use of the logo of Energy Star, a voluntary public-private partnership co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, on your communications.

“Today’s Lighting Distributor” (TLD), is the official publication of NAILD. The quarterly issues contain official NAILD news, industry trends and the latest in product information.

For more information on membership or on the LS I lighting training program contact the NAILD office at 800-205-6210 or go to www.naild.org. ❏

Kevin Eagan serves as the current President of NAILD and is a Co-Owner of Northwest Lighting Systems Co.

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FEATURE • Advanced Energy Solar Energy

A Guide to Choosing Commercial Inverters Finding the Right System For a Successful Solar Project

By Rob Masinter

M

uch like the consolidation that’s been happening among photovoltaics (PV) panel and module manufacturers over the past few years, the inverter market is following suit on a global scale. Given that there are fewer inverter manufacturers fighting for market share at the top, the decision of which inverter or design to choose for a project should start not with the product itself, but with

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the inverter manufacturer.

When selecting an inverter provider for a commercial project, three key factors a developer should consider are bankability; flexibility in product offering; and the pre- and post-installation services available, including warranties.

1. BANKABILITY. As solar energy continues to scale and move toward securitization, the issue of a company’s bankability will beContinued on page 26

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FEATURE • Advanced Energy Solar Energy come increasingly important for solar project investors—and, in turn, for project developers choosing an inverter manufacturer. A surprising amount of system owners and financiers have considered cash on hand to be a sign of strong bankability, but without considering debt-toequity ratio, which indicates what proportion of equity and debt a company is using to finance its assets. Debt-to-equity ratio could be considered a major factor that led to some solar companies going out of business.

Nonetheless, that’s just one factor to consider. Those that are most important in terms of bankability (and that are publically available for most companies) include: • Profitability: Consistent profitability indicates strong management and alignment of product offering, value proposition, and corporate strategy to support investments for the future.

• Debt-to-equity ratio: As has been mentioned, a company that has too many liabilities has less flexibility to respond to market changes in the short term, without enough equity to fund long-term initiatives.

• Balance sheet strength: The strength of a balance sheet ensures there’s enough cash for a company to meet its liabilities for the next year.

• History: Longevity usually means that a company is more likely to have the processes, foresight, and experience to prevent and overcome challenges related to supporting an install base and service organization for years to come.

• Transparency: Having as much information as possible in a standard, audited format, enables in-depth credit analysis.

• Diversification: Pure-play photovoltaic PV companies are more easily affected by fluctuations in their target markets than diversified companies. On the other hand, if a company has too many divisions, it can be more difficult for smaller divisions to attract customers and investors. An even balance between PV solar and non-PV solar business is ideal.

2. FLEXIBILITY. Choosing an inverter provider with a robust suite of commercial products and technology topologies is important, as it means they are most

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Continued from page 24

likely to deliver the best possible inverter solution for a project across a range of project applications and their unique design challenges. A flexible inverter manufacturer can offer a centralized and decentralized inverter design, referring to an architecture that utilizes multiple inverters throughout a project to achieve the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) possible.

Although there’s still growing demand for PV system architectures utilizing central inverters, the use of three-phase string inverters in decentralized PV system designs is gaining in popularity. This is particularly true in commercial applications where space is at a premium or only available in irregular forms. In determining whether to select a central or decentralized inverter architecture for a project, a developer should always consider the following: • Uptime: A decentralized design reduces lost output in the event of inverter failure. Typically, string inverters are replaced with new ones and repaired offline. In most cases, it’s recommended that spares are kept directly onsite to reduce downtime. Although the repair time of a central inverter may require factory service expertise, the uptime can be increased with a service plan. The decision between a decentralized and central inverter approach can sometimes be driven by the skill of the labor available, and by the mean time to repair (MTTR).

• Reliability: When comparing decentralized and centralized, it’s important to take into account the respective failure rate and the number of inverters that will be used in the project to best assess the reliability impact of the system as a whole. Ideally, a reliability study should be carried out to evaluate these two factors.

system designer should calculate several financial metrics, including the return on investment, LCOE, internal rate of return, as well as the net present value.

• Space constraints: Space-constrained projects typically fair better with decentralized designs. However, determining if there’s room for a wall mount versus a pad, or if there’s a requirement to mount on the roof versus the ground (among other space-related considerations), will help steer a designer toward the right inverter.

• Code compliance and interconnect requirements: System designers will

also need to consider the varying codes and utility requirements for each project location, selecting an inverter that meets those requirements.

3. SERVICES. Although inverters constitute a small portion of a solar energy system’s cost, ensuring they run as efficiently and reliably as possible is crucial to delivering on long-term production goals. Strong services pre- and post-installation, will help system owners maximize uptime and power generation, and prevent unanticipated issues from impacting production.

For pre-installation services, project developers should consider whether a provider offers project design and application engineering, site commissioning support, and project management of the delivery. Ideally, there should be a level of collaboration in advance of deployment, where project developers can call on inverter manufacturers to participate in some of the project planning, at least in terms of reviewing the design plans or participating in technical “kick-off” meetings.

In regards to post-installation services, system owners should look for ongoing data monitoring, preventative maintenance, O&M services, a quick MTTR, and a bankable warranty with a strong • Operation & Maintenance (O&M): track record. All of these considerations With a decentralized approach, mainte- need to be made before purchasing an innance can be reduced given that string verter for a solar energy system. inverters don’t require any preventive Keeping an inverter manufacturer’s maintenance as is typical for centralability to hold up to a robust definition of ized inverters, such as inspection of the bankability, to offer flexible design and cooling system and thermographic product solutions, to provide reliable postimaging. installation services and warranties, top of • Investment performance: To finanmind will help guide commercial project cially capture all of the advantages and developers to a vendor that helps achieve disadvantages of both approaches, a their goals. ❏

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

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Industry NEWS

Eaton’s LED Solutions Improve Lighting Performance and Efficiency at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Saving Approximately $1.2 Million Per Year

P

ower management company Eaton today announced that its Cooper Lighting division’s McGraw-Edison Valet and Ventus light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires are replacing 6,050 existing parking garage fixtures at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) to improve efficiencies and optical lighting performance. The conversion will result in a 66 percent reduction in power consumption with an anticipated overall energy and maintenance savings of approximately $1.2 million annually.

“This project is improving the lighting performance in our parking facilities, reducing energy consumption, saving on maintenance costs and shrinking our carbon footprint,” said Tom Naughton, chief executive officer, Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA). “Our team invested a significant amount of time field testing 12 different lighting fixtures and visiting local municipalities that completed parking garage lighting upgrades to take into account their lessons learned and implement best practices for a results-driven end product.”

Consuming only 60 watts, the McGrawEdison Valet LED fixtures are replacing 1,200 existing 210-watt, metal halide fixtures in the Blue Deck parking garage and 4,800 fixtures in McNamara Terminal Parking Structure. The Ventus LED polemounted fixtures are being installed on the upper open decks. The fixtures are estimated to reduce annual energy consump28

tion by more than 7,345,000 kilowatt hours, resulting in 66 percent energy savings and providing improved uniform illumination.

“Replacing inefficient parking garage lighting with LED fixtures is one of the most practical, energy-efficient upgrades a city or business can make to save energy, reduce costs and lower carbon dioxide emissions,” said Mark Eubanks, president, Eaton’s Cooper Lighting division. “This project is a great example of how to increase overall efficiencies and performance to provide a safe and well-lit environment, all while helping save the airport energy and maintenance costs.”

In addition, the LED products incorporate the Lighting division’s LumaWatt Outdoor Wireless Control and Monitoring System, which manages the lighting levels according to pedestrian and traffic safety needs. Since the lighting runs 24 hours a day, the products are able to reduce light levels during low usage hours, increase the lighting on demand with occupancy sensors and harvest daylight, reducing power to the fixtures when needed to gain additional energy savings.

The Lighting division’s LED luminaires also provide maintenance savings, including labor and materials. On average, the existing light source needed to be replaced every 13 months, whereas the McGrawEdison LED fixtures are designed to last more than 60,000 hours, or maintain minimal lighting levels for at least 10 years.

Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

The energy saved in this project is equivalent to powering 880 U.S. households for one year, and the reduction of 7,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year is equal to taking 1,350 passenger vehicles off the road.

“This project is one of many initiatives currently underway as part of the Airport Authority’s on-going commitment to promote sustainability practices, while conducting day-to-day operations,” said Ali Dib, director of Infrastructure and Engineering, WCAA. Eaton’s Cooper Lighting division delivers a range of innovative and reliable indoor and outdoor lighting solutions, as well as controls products specifically designed to maximize performance, energy efficiency and cost savings. The Lighting business serves customers in the commercial, industrial, retail, institutional, residential, utility and other markets.

Eaton’s Electrical Sector is a global leader with expertise in power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection; control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments; and engineering services. Eaton is positioned through its global solutions to answer today’s most critical electrical power management challenges. ❏ For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

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Industry NEWS

Soraa Recently Unveiled Simply Perfect™ PAR and AR111 Lamps at Light + Building

S

oraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology, recently announced a full range of LED AR111, PAR30, and PAR38 lamps that will be available to ship in late Q2. All Soraa lamps feature 3-phosphor LEDs with violet pump that enable benefits such as Point Source Optics for beautiful, uniform beams of high intensity, Violet 3Phosphor (VP3) Natural White and VP3 Full-spectrum Vivid Color, which reveal the magic of whiteness and colors in every environment. Now, Soraa’s Simply Per-

fectTM Light is available in a portfolio of larger form factors essential for retail, hospitality and residential applications.

Since its 2012 launch, the Soraa LED MR16 lamp has become synonymous with exceptional light quality and innovative design, which is continued in this portfolio expansion. Soraa’s signature elements of Simply Perfect™ Light, powered by its GaN on GaNTM LED technology, shift the landscape completely. In addition, Soraa’s award winning SNAP System™ Continued on page 20

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Industry NEWS provides a lamp-accessory solution that delivers endless design and display possibilities and ANSI/IEC conforming form factors for worry-free fit and reliable operation in both enclosed and open fixtures.

“We eagerly anticipated Soraa’s MR16 product becoming available on the market, and it met all our expectations. Its narrow, tight, and very bright beam projects an even field of natural light thanks to its full-spectrum color rendering, and its clean single shadow,” said Johan Sustrac, CEO of the prominent Paris-based lighting design firm Distylight whose projects include Club Med Bahamas, the Kuznetsky Hotel in Moscow, the Pathé Gaumont cinemas in France and numerous hotels in Paris like Hotel Codet or Hotel Rebuplique. “We love the smart SNAP System that provides us lighting designers with endless possibilities and huge flexibility to change the spread and color temperature of our LED, without having to change

our source. We are also looking forward to having Soraa’s AR111 on the EU market, especially for its high power performance, its dimmable aspect and of course the great flexibility of the SNAP System.”

Soraa’s large lamp portfolio of AR111, PAR30 Long Neck (LN), PAR30 Short Neck (SN) and PAR38 lamps achieve 1000 lumen output with VP3 Natural White and VP3 Vivid Color technology, defined by full-visible-spectrum, high whiteness rendering, 95-CRI, and 95-R9. The family of large lamps will be available in 25°, 36°, and 60° beam angles, and in a wide range of color temperatures.

The AR111 is an important lamp for object lighting, requiring narrow spots, crisp beam edges, and no glare. With a peak intensity of 27,500Cd, Soraa’s 8° 95CRI/95-R9 AR111 is the only LED product that matches halogen levels, 50% higher than the nearest 80-CRI competitor. The PAR30LN and PAR30SN lamps

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Electrical Products & Solutions • May 2014

offer the only 8° narrow spot option on the market without active cooling, achieving a center beam intensity of 28,250Cd, more than twice the level of the nearest 80-CRI competitor.

For more information on Soraa’s GaN on GaN™ LEDs and lamps, visit www.soraa.com. ❏

About Soraa: Pioneering lamps using LEDs built from pure gallium nitride substrates (GaN on GaN™), Soraa has made ordinary lighting extraordinarily brilliant and efficient. Soraa’s full spectrum GaN on GaN™ LED lamps have superior color rendering and beam characteristics compared to lamps using LEDs created from non-native substrates. Founded in 2008, Soraa is located in Fremont, California, where it manufactures its GaN on GaN™ LEDs in the company’s state-of-the-art facility. For additional information, please visit www.soraa.com and follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.

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Product FOCUS AEMC® Introduces the NEW Power Quality Analyzer PowerPad® III Model 8435 The PowerPad® III Model 8435 is a three-phase power quality analyzer that is easy-to-use, compact and shock resistant. It enables technicians and engineers to measure and carry out diagnostics and power quality work on one-, two- or three- phase networks. Four voltage and four current inputs are provided. It is IP67 waterproof rated when recording with cover closed. The Model 8435 has 2GB of memory available for storing trend data. Additional internal memory is conveniently partitioned to let you store alarms, transients, inrush and snapshot data synchronized or independent of each other. The user can store up to 50 screen snapshots, up to 210 captured transients that contain four cycles for each active input, and 10,000 alarm events from up to 40 different parameters. Trend data can also be recorded for days, weeks or even months. Inrush current can also be captured and stored. Six direct access function buttons quickly display waveforms, harmonics, transients, alarms, power analysis and trend recording. FREE DataView® software is included for configuring real-time display and report generation.

For more information, visit www.aemc.com

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Product FOCUS Cree Introduces Industry’s First 8000 Lumen LED Module LMH2 LED Module Family Enables the Complete Replacement of Ceramic Metal Halide Lamps Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) introduces the new 8000 lumen LMH2 LED Module, a nocompromise, easy-to-use solution for high-ceiling applications. The 8000 lumen LMH2 is designed to replace 150-watt ceramic metal halide (CMH) lamps while using only 63 percent the power and lasting three times as long. With the addition of the 8000 lumen LMH2, the Cree® LMH2 LED Module family offers the industry’s greatest range of lumen output from a single form factor, making it possible to obsolete CMH technology.

“The new Cree® 8000 lumen LMH2 Module allows us to effectively address high-ceiling, high- lumen applications without having to sacrifice color quality or reliability,” said Wesley Johnson, product manager, Hi-Lite Mfg. “We can now easily offer our customers better lighting solutions to replace 150-watt ceramic metal halide lamps in spaces such as convention centers, airports, auditoriums and shopping malls.”

Cree’s LMH2 LED Module family provides an extensive range of light output (850 to 8000 lumens) from a single light source, enabling lighting manufacturers to quickly develop an entire product portfolio with just one set of tooling and optical design. Lighting designers can now utilize one light source and technology to illuminate an entire space, and avoid problems such as color inconsistency and re-lamping.

“Having an 8000 lumen option in the LMH2 LED Module family gives us the flexibility to create an entire product family from a single form factor,” said Chris Roemlein, president, Spectrum Lighting. “Cree’s ability to increase the performance of the LMH2 Module allows us to address a wide range of ceiling heights with minimal design investment.”

For more information, visit www.cree.com/lmh2

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Legrand Introduces Evolution™ Series Ceiling Box Designed for conference rooms, classrooms, training facilities and more Legrand has introduced the latest in its line of high-performance wire and cable management devices – the Evolution™ Series Ceiling Box. Offered in six variations, 2’ by 2’ by 6” deep boxes fit above a false or permanent ceiling to provide storage for electronic audio/video and IT equipment, and to support a projector, if required.

These boxes are designed for conference rooms, classrooms, training facilities, or anywhere a projector and/or A/V equipment is needed and where large racks or furniture storage are not practical.

Designing the Evolution Series Ceiling Box presented a unique opportunity for two market-leading Legrand product brands, Wiremold and Middle Atlantic Products, to combine their individual areas of expertise and create a solution that is easy to install and service and helps ensure system reliability.

It incorporates the innovative wire and cable management facilities inherent in all Wiremold designs as well as the device mounting, thermal management and power considerations intrinsic in Middle Atlantic’s products.

According to Senior Product Manager Michael Cole, the Evolution Series, which also includes floor boxes, pokethru devices and wall boxes, represents the pinnacle of device design. “This ceiling box is loaded with user- and installer-friendly features that were originally suggested by our customers and that were incorporated into the design,” he said.

The six versions of the Evolution Series Ceiling Box include three units with a projector mount, and several options for electrical circuitry. Receptacles within each box are uncontrolled, controlled by dry contact or feature network (IP) or RS232 Series port enabled RackLink™ technology from Middle Atlantic Products, which monitors and controls the power to AV and IT equipment. Receptacles are rotated to accommodate large plugs.

The cover of the Evolution Series Ceiling Box can be opened and removed while a projector is mounted to the box.

This allows other devices to be serviced without having to disconnect the projector. A tether cord is included to prevent the cover from slipping out of hands and landing on expensive conference room tables.

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Product FOCUS

Stainless Steel Pagoda LED Fixture Dabmar Lighting is continuing their tradition of innovation by introducing a completely Stainless Steel Pagoda Fixture in LED. This fixture was created because of demand for a traditional looking path light that will last in the harshest conditions while using the latest LED technology.

Most landscape environments are very corrosive and most products on the market do not last.

Now there is an option for a high quality and durable lighting fixture that will provide bright light output.

Please consider using our LV-LED102-SS on your next outdoor lighting project.

For more information, visit www.dabmar.com

Bridgeport Fittings Introduces Grounding Locknuts New locknuts offer additional bonding or grounding path Used to fashion threaded connectors or nipples to a box or enclosure, Bridgeport Fittings’ new Grounding Locknuts offer an additional bonding or grounding path. The Bridgeport solution can be used with rigid conduit, threaded hubs and conduit nipples. Made of zinc die cast, the new cETLus Listed locknuts are available in 2 to 4-inch trade sizes. Bridgeport Fittings is a leading supplier of quality fittings to the industrial, commercial and residential channels of the electrical industry. Two-thirds of Bridgeport’s product volume is manufactured in the U.S. For more information, visit www.bptfittings.com

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Platinum Tools® Features New Cable Prowler™ Full Color Display Cable Tester & Report Management System at 2014 ISC West Now Shipping to the Security Market, the Cable Prowler™ PRO Test Kit Combines the Functionality of a High-End Cable and Length Measurement Tester with the Capability to Identify Link Status, Link Capability, and PoE Detection, All in Full Color and with Internal Memory to Save and Output Results Platinum Tools® , the leader in solutions for the preparation, installation, hand termination and testing of wire and cable, is proud to announce it will feature the new Cable Prowler™ (TCB300) cable tester and report management system at 2014 ISC West, held in Las Vegas, Nev. from April 2-4 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, booth 4045. Made in the USA, the Cable Prowler has an MSRP of $749.95 for the Complete Kit (P/N TCB360K1), and $529.95 for the tester only (P/N TCB300).

“Ideal for the security professional, the Cable Prowler provides full cable testing on any category network, coax, or telephone cable, combining the functions of a high-end cable tester and length measurement tester, with the capability to identify link status, link capability, and PoE detection,” explained Lee Sachs, Platinum Tools, Inc. president and general manager. “The Cable Prowler provides full cable testing, displaying wire map, numbered ID remotes, and any faults, including shorts, opens, miswires, split pairs, and reverses. It also enables quick identification of a network drops link capability and current link status.

All of this in full color and internal memory to save results, as well as the ability to export to a computer via micro USB cable for record keeping and printing.”

For more information, visit www.platinumtools.com

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Advertiser INDEX This advertisers index is compiled as a courtesy to our readers. While every effort is made to provide a complete and accurate listing of companies, page numbers and reader service numbers, the publisher is not responsible for errors.

Company

PG#

RS#

25 36 IBC 38 37 15 30 4 40 33 39 27 30 39 34 34 7 11 21

19 50 2 56 51 13 46 6 54 23 53 20 45 52 49 48 8 11 17

2014 LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 2014 NFPA CONFERENCE AEMC INSTRUMENTS AMERICAN CONNECTORS, INC. AMERICAN TECHNICAL PUBLISHERS BYTE BROTHERS CALIFORNIA TURBO CONDUIT REPAIR SYSTEMS CONTINENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS, LLC COPPER DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION DABMAR LIGHTING DAINTREE NETWORKS DYNATECH E-Z METER FACILITY RESULTS FLASH PROTECTION, INC. GENERATOR INTERLOCK TECHNOLOGIES HB BRACKETS HIOKI USA

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Company

PG#

RS#

ITOOLCO KRENZ & COMPANY MEGGER MILLER SAFETY CONSULTANTS, LTD MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTS MP GLOBAL PRODUCTS LLC NORTHWEST LIGHTING SYSTEMS PHASE-A-MATIC POWER & TEL RANDL INDUSTRIES RUNTAL NORTH AMERICA STEELMAN INDUSTRIES STRIP-TEC TCP TENMAT, INC. THE HOME DEPOT UNDERGROUND DEVICES UTILITY METALS WAHOO INNOVATIONS, INC.

9 20 IFC BC 1 22, 23 5 20 35 31 29 40 16 17 19 13 32 10 3

9 43 1 3 4 18 7 44 24 22 21 55 42 14 15 12 47 10 5

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