Power Engineering articles from November 2003

Power Engineering archives from November 2003

Water wars.
November 1, 2003... For the better part of its history, the power industry has taken water for granted. Where makeup water was needed for boiler and cooling systems, securing water rights from river, groundwater, or lake sources was relatively easy. That is no...

Public deserves better from power industry.(Feedback)
November 1, 2003... As engineers, we have an awesome responsibility. We work not just for our employers or our livelihood, but for the end user of our products--and a mistake can be costly, not only to ourselves and our employers, but to the trusting public who...

New combined-cycle power plant configuration proposed.(Update)
November 1, 2003... A New Hampshire technology company has developed a new combined-cycle power plant designed to produce ultra-low emissions compared to conventional combined-cycle gas plants (see table). NovelEdge Technologies, in conjunction with heat recovery...

Cinergy plans voluntary greenhouse gas reductions.(Update)
November 1, 2003... Cinergy has become the first predominantly coal-burning electric utility in the U.S. to publicly announce its intention to make absolute reductions of its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The Cincinnati-based company has announced it will...

Blackouts raise big combustion safety issues.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Virtually all media attention concerning this summer's massive U.S. power blackout focused on the grid. Yet outages can dramatically affect power plant combustion components and create significant safety hazards. Even far smaller events--minor...

Burner management system failure issues.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Burner Management System Failure Issues--A brownout or voltage sag can destroy a burner management system (BMS). As a result, equipment is not functional for a few hours--assuming a spare is available, not obsolete and still supported by the...

Dangers of equipment that re-starts automatically.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Dangers of Equipment that Re-Starts Automatically--Some burner management systems do not provide a lockout circuit for key interlocks that require manual reset. This process requires a person physically pressing the reset button to restore...

Solid fuel re-start issues.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Solid Fuel Re-Start Issues--Solid fuels in boilers can present problems when unexpected outages occur. A big pile of coal burning on a stoker grate takes time to bum itself out. "Not enough water in the drums or too much air moving through the...

Possible explosions.(Update)(power plants)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Possible Explosions--An instant shutdown at high fire with no planning could result in a firebox with enough fuel in it to be in the flammable range. Any hot ignition source could cause an explosion. If a plant loses power while a boiler is at...

Safety switches and interlocks must work correctly.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Safety Switches and Interlocks Must Work Correctly--Safety controls such as high- and low-gas pressure switches, airflow switches, and flame detectors keep personnel safe when things are not operating correctly, and during a power outage, they...

Refractory damage vulnerability.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Refractory Damage Vulnerability--When systems are brought back into service, it is essential to check for signs of failed refractory. Some equipment could be prone to refractory failures after an outage because the refractory brick is again...

PLC controller issues.(Update)(programmable logic controllers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PLC Controller Issues--During post power loss start-up, operators may be surprised how programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have been configured. The system will most likely recover to whatever was recently stored in the EEPROM or non-volatile...

Pressure surges and steam safety relief valves.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Pressure Surges and Steam Safety Relief Valves--Sudden loss of power in a major facility could mean that control valves for processes suddenly slam shut. This means that lots of steam is already in the system flowing toward the valve when,...

Advanced control--where are we headed?
November 1, 2003... Smart sensors, smart transmitters, smart controllers, smart tools, etc., seem to be everywhere. Advanced control technology for combustion systems is increasingly providing cost-effective boiler performance optimization and emissions reduction....

"Smart pigs" help ensure power plant gas line integrity.
November 1, 2003... Last year Kirkland, Wash.-based National Energy Systems Company (NESCO), operator of the gas-fired Sumas 1 cogeneration plant in Whatcom County, Wash., conducted an extremely thorough examination of the 3.7-mile eight-inch gas pipeline that has...

Fuel Tech has acquired the fuel additive business of Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Fuel Tech has acquired the fuel additive business of Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties, the leading U.S, producer of magnesia-based chemical products.

PPL Corp.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PPL Corp. will sell three of its nine hydroelectric dams in Maine to a coalition of government agencies and private groups that plan to bypass the dams to restore runs of Atlantic salmon, and other migratory fish to the Penobscot Riven

Black Hills Corp. has completed the sale of its interests in seven hydro power plants located in upstate New York.(Mergers and Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Black Hills Corp. has completed the sale of its interests in seven hydro power' plants located in upstate New York to affiliates of Boralex Inc. and Boralex Power Income Fund.

Exelon will buy British Energy's interest in AmerGen Energy, giving Exelon sole ownership of AmerGen and its three U.S. nuclear plants.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Exelon will buy British Energy's interest in AmerGen Energy, giving Exelon sole ownership of AmerGen and its three U.S. nuclear plants: Clinto, Power Station in Illinois, Three Mile Island Unit I in Pennsylvania, and the Oyster Creek Generating...

Foster Wheeler Ltd. has announced it has finalized the sale of its Hudson Falls, N.Y.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Foster Wheeler Ltd. has announced it has finalized the sale of its Hudson Falls, N.Y. waste-to-energy facility to the Industrial Development Agency of Washington and Warren Counties (New York).

United American Energy Holdings (UAE), developer, acquirer, and operator of power facilities, has entered into a merger agreement with DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III (CSFB Private Equity).(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette Securities Corp.)(Credit Suisse First Boston)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... United American/Energy Holdings (UAE), developer, acquirer, and operator of power facilities has entered into a merger agreement with DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III (CSFB Private Equity). UAE owns and operates six projects and has a 50%...

TECO Energy has completed the sale of the 370 MW Hardee County.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... TECO Energy has completed the sale of the 370 MW Hardee County, Florida gas-fired plant to Invenergy and GTCR Golder Rauner.

Carlson & Associates has purchased Ely Wind, LLC, which has a 50 MW power purchase agreement with Nevada Power.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Ely Wind, LLC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Carlson & Associates has purchased Ely Wind, LLC, which has a 50 MW power purchase agreement with Nevada Power. Global Renewable Energy Partners formerly owned Ely Wind.

Puget Sound Energy has announced plans to buy a 49.85% stake in the 249 MW Frederickson Power Plant in Washington state from the plant's owner and operator.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Puget Sound Energy)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Puget Sound Energy. has announced plans to buy a 49.85% stake in the 249 MW Frederickson Power Plant in Washington state from the plant's owner and operator, EPCOR Power Development Corp., which is the merchant subsidiary of Canada's EPCOR...

WPS Resources Corp. has agreed to sell its Sunbury Generating Station in Snyder County, Pa., to Duquesne Power LP, a subsidiary of Duquesne Light Holdings, for $120 million.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... WPS Resources Corp. has agreed to sell its Sunbury Generating Station in Snyder County, Pa., to Duquesne Power LP, a subsidiary of Duquesne Light Holdings, for $120 million. The Sunbury station consists of six boilers supplying steam to four...

FPL Energy has agreed to buy 130 MW of wind generation assets in California from bankrupt energy trader Enron Corp.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... FPL Energy has agreed to buy 130 MW of wind generation assets in California from bankrupt energy trader Enron Corp. The assets consists of the 40 MW Cabazon and the 16 MW Green Power projects near Palm Springs and the 18 MW and 7 MW Victory,...

Investment bank Goldman Sachs Group has announced it will buy independent power producer Cogentrix Energy.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Investment bank Goldman Sachs Group has announced it will buy independent power producer Cogentrix Energy in an acquisition that will add 26 power plants and about 3,300 MW of generating capacity to Goldman's power portfolio.

American Securities Capital Partners and Private Power have acquired six operating subsidiaries of NiSource subsidiary Primary Energy.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(private power)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... American Securities Capital Partners and Private Power have acquired six operating subsidiaries of NiSource subsidiary Primary Energy that operate facilities in Northern Indiana capable to generating about 900 MW of combined electric and...

Brush holder system minimizes opportunity for collector ring wear.
November 1, 2003... Most power plant operators are familiar with generator maintenance problems such as collector rings going out of round and photographing on the ring surface. The primary cause of collector ring wear is improper contact pressure between the...

Surging U.S. market predicted for pollution control.(Update)
November 1, 2003... U.S. multi-pollutant air emission regulations would increase output levels and improve profitability for many coal producers while stimulating a market surge for pollution control vendors, according to a recently released report by ICF...

Canada plans more hydro for sale to U.S.(Update)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Hydro-Quebec has announced plans to build new dams and increase power exports to the U.S. The company says it will spend $13.4 billion through 2008 on expansions, emphasizing its intentions to keep Quebec as energy independent as possible in...

Sandia seeks ways to lower wind energy costs.(Update)
November 1, 2003... Researchers at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories are developing ways to lower the cost of wind generation by enabling turbines to produce more power. Although current wind turbines can be cost-effective in extremely windy...

Utility Engineering Corporation has received a contract to design the 250 MW Walnut Energy Center in Turlock, Calf.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Utility Engineering Corporation has received a contract to design the 250 MW Walnut Energy Center in Turlock, Calf. The company's joint venture with The Industrial Company has also received a contract for the Leon Creek Peaking Power Project to...

Flour Corp.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Fluor Corp.'s Power business unit has been awarded a turnkey contract by Brazos Electric Power Cooperative to provide engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services for the 620 MW Jack County Generation Facility near...

Caterpillar and FuelCell Energy have announced their first joint sale of an ultra-low emissions fuel cell power generation plant in the state of California.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Caterpillar and FuelCell Energy have announced their first joint sale of an ultra-low emissions fuel cell power generation plant in the state of California. The 250 kW plant will be used by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, which...

DTE Energy Technologies.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... DTE Energy Technologies will utilize its energy|now System Operations Center to participate in a project on the advanced aggregation and control of distributed generation capacity funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

SeaWest Asset Management.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SeaWest Asset Management has received a contract from Public Service Company of Colorado to provide operations and maintenance services for three years on two wind projects in Weld County, Colorado, covering 37 turbines. Sea West also renewed a...

Plateau Systems.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Plateau Systems has announced that General Electric has implemented a single, corporate-wide application of Plateau 4 LMS to manage learning for its 300,000 employees and contractors globally. The system will serve as a core enterprise software...

Invensys.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Invensys' Asia Pacific organization has completed a comprehensive control system modernization project at the second of four 678 MW units at the Castle Peak Power Station in Hong Kong.

Calpine and Mitsui & Co. have won a bid to build, own and operate a 525 MW baseload gas-fired combined-cycle energy center.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Calpine and Mitsui & Co. have won a bid to build, own and operate a 525 MW baseload gas-fired combined-cycle energy center for Mexico's Comision Federal de Electricidad at Valladolid in the Yucatan Peninsula.

GE Hydro.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... GE Hydro has been selected by Sichuan Huanglong Electric Power Co. Ltd. to supply equipment and services for a new 180 MW hydroelectric plant in Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. GE Hydro has also received a contract from Pacific...

Lockheed Martin.(Construction And Contracts)(U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded Lockheed Martin a $22.8 million contract for maintenance and operational support of application systems and IT environment.

GE Wind Energy.(Construction And Contracts)(Huitengxile Wind power plant)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... GE Wind Energy will supply ten 1.5 MW wind turbines for the 15 MW Huitengxile Wind Power Plant of Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.

Siemens.(Construction And Contracts)(Siemens)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Siemens has received an order from Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. to equip the St. Francis power plant in Missouri with the HybrixPower content management system. The system will manage all of the plant's documentation and make it...

Westinghouse.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Westinghouse has received an order to upgrade the turbine control systems on Exelon's four nuclear units at Byron and Braidwood. The $10 million contract includes hardware and engineering for the base system, as well as numerous options for all...

Peabody Energy.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Peabody Energy has entered into long-term coal supply agreements with the owners and operators of Tucson Electric Powers Springerville Generating Station, where a new 400 MW coal-fired generating unit is being developed. Peabody will provide up...

PPM Energy Inc., ScottishPower's competitive U.S. energy business, will build and own the Mountain View III wind plant in Riverside County, Calif.(Construction And Contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PPM Energy Inc., ScottishPower's competitive U.S. energy business, will build and own the Mountain View III wind plant in Riverside County, Calif. The wind farm, jointly developed with SeaWest WindPower, will consist of 34 Vestas 660 kW...

Exelon Generation, Dominion Energy and Entergy Nuclear have submitted early site permit applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to facilitate possible future decisions to build new nuclear plants.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Exelon Generation, Dominion Energy and Entergy Nuclear have submitted early site permit applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to facilitate possible future decisions to build new nuclear plants. The applications identify Exelon's...

Praxair Surface Technologies and Aerospace International Materials have announced a strategic relationship for the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced diffusion brazing materials.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Praxair Surface Technologies and Aerospace International Materials have announced a strategic relationship for the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced diffusion brazing materials including nickel, cobalt and precious metal...

Eaton Corp. has brought Cutler-Hammer Group into its Industrial and Commercial Controls business.(Business Briefs)(Curler-Hammer)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Eaton Corp. has brought Curler-Hammer Group into its Industrial and Commercial Controls business and renamed the entire unit Eaton Electrical.

Equipment management and control company F. W. Murphy and MIRATECH, developer of emission control and engine performance technology for industrial engines, have formed Compliance Controls.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Equipment management and control company F. W. Murphy and MIRATECH, developer of emission control and engine performance technology for industrial engines, have formed Compliance Controls, a new organization dedicated to sales, support and...

Texas Genco Holdings.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Texas Genco Holdings has announced a two-phase plan to mothball gas-fired capacity totaling 2,990 MW. Three units totaling 777 MW have been seasonally mothballed through April of 2004. They include Webster Unit 3, T.H. Wharton Unit 2 and...

Reliant Resources.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Reliant Resources has retired two 132 MW gas-fired units at the Etiwanda power plant in southern California. The company has also announced that it completed the sale of its 588 MW Desert Basin plant in Casa Grande, Ariz. to Salt River Project....

Energy Resources Consultancy International.(Business Briefs)(new energy project development group helps project developers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Energy Resources Consultancy International has formed a new energy project development group offering project proposal review, technology selection, design, financing options, construction and operations. The consultancy will offer developers...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Mitsubishi Heavy Industries expects to double sales of solar power generation equipment over two years, predicting growth in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France. The company expects sales of about $27 million for its solar power generation...

Duke Energy.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Paul Anderson has been appointed chairman and CEO of Duke Energy. He served as president and COO of Duke Energy immediately following the 1997 merger of Duke Power and PanEnergy, then left to become managing director and CEO of BHP Limited.

Ameren Corp.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Gary Rainwater will succeed Charles Mueller as chairman and chief executive of Ameren Corp. upon Mueller's retirement at the end of the year. Rainwater has been Ameren president and COO for two years.

Omaha Public Power District.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... W. Gary Gates has been appointed president and CEO of Omaha Public Power District, replacing Fred Petersen, who retires at the end of the year.

FirstEnergy Corp.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Joseph Hagan has joined FirstEnergy Corp. as senior vice president of engineering and support services for FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company. His responsibilities will include the Perry, Beaver Valley and Davis-Besse plants. He was formerly...

Xcel Energy.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Richard C. Kelly has been named president and COO of Xcel Energy, positions that had been held by Wayne H. Brunetti, who remains the company's chairman and CEO.

NRG Energy Inc.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... David W. Crane has been named president and CEO of NRG Energy Inc. The appointment is subject to bankruptcy court approval.

Association of Edison Illuminating Companies.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... H. Peter Burg, chairman and CEO of FirstEnergy Corp., has been elected president of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. Richard R. Grigg, executive vice president of Wisconsin Energy Corp., and Frank Cassidy, president and COO of...

Nalco.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... William Joyce has been named chairman and CEO of water treatment company Nalco. Bradley Bell has been named executive vice president and CFO.

KEMA.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... James Rossi has joined KEMA as vice president of the power generation and sustainables group. He is a co-founder of Standish Energy and had a long career with Stone & Webster.

Mirant.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Harvey Wagner has announced his retirement as CFO of Mirant, currently undergoing restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He will remain with the company on an interim basis until a replacement is found.

Cambridge Energy Research Associates.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Emily Nagle Green has been named CEO of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. She was previously a senior executive at Forrester Research.

Sermatech Power Solutions.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Shane Reph has been named president of Sermatech Power Solutions.

Konarka Technologies.(Personnel And Promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Konarka Technologies, which develops polymer photovoltaic products, has announced that Daniel Patrick McGahn has joined the company as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Report defines gas policies needed to maintain U.S. self-reliance.(Update)
November 1, 2003... A recently published report by the National Petroleum Council identities two scenarios by which the U.S. can remain self-reliant for its supply of natural gas. The report analyzes supply, demand, and the infrastructure for natural gas in North...

More students seek nuclear careers.(Column)
November 1, 2003... Nuclear power plant operators have steadily improved the performance of commercial nuclear plants over the past 20 years, making these plants competitive with other electricity sources. Noting low enrollments in universities' nuclear...

Power-Gen International: getting the industry back in synch: POWER-GEN International 2003 promises an unparalleled forum at which attendees can make sense of the ups and downs experienced by the power industry the past few years.
November 1, 2003... The cyclic nature of the power industry has been re-confirmed--in sledge-hammer fashion--over the past several years. From the highs of the late 1990s and into 2000--exemplified by the gas turbine boom, the rush to deregulation, high power...

Study examines cost trends for new and retrofit dry FGD systems.(Dry FGD Costs)(Flue Gas Desulfurization)
November 1, 2003... Numerous FGD systems are being planned in order to comply with continually more stringent power plant emissions regulations. Plant operators can choose between wet and dry flue gas desulfurization technologies. Although wet FGD systems are more...

Generation gap could complicate staffing crunch.(Staffing Solutions)
November 1, 2003... The job openings on this page are typical of the more than 550 job listings currently appearing on Think Energy Groups web site. The Atlanta-based staffing firm is one of close to a dozen companies focusing almost exclusively on recruiting...

Study identifies cooling problems with water-cooled generators.
November 1, 2003... Large electrical generator stators are normally cooled by water. Unfortunately, generator availability is reduced when copper corrosion products plug the hollow strands of the stator-winding coil. Such flow restrictions reduce cooling capacity,...

Value benchmarking pays off in quest to optimize power plant performance.(Value Benchmarking)
November 1, 2003... For electricity generators, benchmarking is a process that is once again beginning to come into its own. Starting with nuclear operators, and now increasingly used by fossil operators as well, the process of comparison to peers and performance...

Tungsten carbide extends life of ID fan blades.(Fan Blade Repair)(Induced Draft)
November 1, 2003... Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston power plant entered operation in 1955 and is one of 11 coal-fired power plants owned and operated by the TVA. The plant is located just west of Knoxville, TN, at the junction of the Tennessee and...

Boiler feed pump performance assessment method using pump affinity laws reduces uncertainty.(Pump Performance)
November 1, 2003... Boiler feed pumps (BFPs) play a major role in the capacity and heat rate of a power-generating unit. As such, they merit routine performance testing to assess their condition and trend deficiencies to predict the optimum time before overhaul....

Preventing cavitation requires proper design and operation of feed-water valves.(Feed-Water Valves)
November 1, 2003... It takes a large number of control valves to run a power plant, and while some valves are more critical to plant operations than others, it always follows that when a severe service valve fails, the plant goes off line. Feed-water level control...

IGCC technology continues to develop.(IGCC)(Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle )
November 1, 2003... With almost 30 percent of the world's reserves of bituminous and anthracite coal, the U.S. has more high quality coal than any other country. It is estimated that at the current rate of consumption the U.S. has enough coal reserves to last for...

Developing a maintenance management system requires reliable data.(Maintenance Management)
November 1, 2003... A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) implementation does net end when the software installation is complete. To gain the full value of a CMMS, a core foundation of trusted data must be available each and every time the system is...

Supply chain alliances offer added value for the power industry.(Supply Chain Alliances)
November 1, 2003... During the last five years, unprecedented change has resulted in huge investments in power generation followed by substantial excess capacity in certain markets and declining wholesale power prices. These changes have created a new and volatile...

Sophisticated SCR now available for small power plants.(DG update: news & views on distributed generation)(Steam Cooled Roof )
November 1, 2003... For more than 30 years, elaborate and highly effective catalytic air pollution control systems have been abating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and N[O.sub.X] at utility size power plants. Yet operators of small reciprocating engines...

Chicago Museum goes green with cogen system.(DG update: news & views on distributed generation)(Chicago Museum of Science and Industry )
November 1, 2003... Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September issue, but due to a production error, major portions of the text were out of sequence or repeated, making the item difficult to understand. Power Engineering regrets the error....

Fuel cells address outside plant backup power issues.(DG update: news & views on distributed generation)
November 1, 2003... Although the wireless industry has certainly felt the crunch--especially since the recent northeast power failure--anyone who deals with outside plant (OSP) backup power knows the challenge. Unprecedented consumer demand for new products...