New York City to Track Its Inspectors with GPS
from The Associated Press
New York City will track its hundreds of building inspectors with GPS technology to make sure they are actually doing the inspections they report, the Department of Buildings said Friday. Electrical, construction, elevator, crane and other inspectors will now have GPS tracking on their mobile phones so that department heads can follow their movements in real time through a Web-based program. More

Update on Tamper-Resistant Code Adoption
from NEMA via IAEI
With 30 states having completed adoption processes for the 2008 National Electrical Code® (NEC), support for section 406.11, which requires tamper-resistant receptacles to be installed in new homes, has been overwhelmingly positive. Twenty-nine of the 30 states have adopted the 2008 NEC with the tamper-resistant Code intact. More

The Evolution of Solar Photovoltaic Systems
from EC&M
When it comes to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, there's a common misconception that this growing technology -- and the products that accompany it -- are simple to install, modify, and maintain by untrained personnel. In reality, it's quite the opposite. As this market continues to expand, there's actually a lack of qualified electricians and inspectors performing this type of work. As a result, many installed PV systems are not in compliance with the NEC and local regulations. More

Safe Installations, Safe Work Practices
from NFPA Journal
The last several revision cycles of NFPA 70, National Electrical Code®, have yielded new and revised installation requirements intended to enhance the safety of those who work on electrical systems, many of them based on the requirements of NFPA 70E®, Electrical Safety in the Workplace&. Among these changes is the revision of the long-standing definition of "qualified person." More

Use of a "Special Permission" and “Power of Rejection”
from IAEI Magazine
This article covers the application of two rules of the Canadian Electrical Code that establish a unique relationship between electrical designers/contractors and electrical safety regulators/inspectors in each jurisdiction where the CE Code is adopted for regulatory purposes. More

Bringing Testing Down to Earth
from Connecting Industry
In very simple terms, the main purpose of an earth connection in electrical installations is to provide a path for fault currents to flow safely to earth. The objective is to prevent accessible parts of electrical equipment from becoming live and therefore, dangerous to touch under fault conditions. To do this effectively, the earth connection must be of low resistance, so it’s important to be able to measure the resistance of earth connections. More

Wind Farms Set Wall Street Aflutter
from The Wall Street Journal
After nearly a six-month lull, Wall Street is getting back into the business of financing new wind farms. Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. have invested $100 million each to finance separate wind farms this month, taking advantage of a brand-new federal program that is paying substantial cash grants to help cover the cost of renewable energy investments. More