Avangrid, Inc., a Connecticut-based energy company, announced a strategic investment of $7 million to purchase five power transformers manufactured in Washington, Missouri by American manufacturer WEG Transformers USA. The investment, part of Avangrid’s plan to invest $18.5 million in grid infrastructure by 2028, underscores Avangrid’s commitment to strengthening the grid while supporting American manufacturing and local jobs. The five transformers will be utilized by Avangr

A predictable development in the AI world: managing heat at data centers Any electrical engineer saw this one coming: how to manage heat at data centers, where massive rows of servers with heavy-duty wiring require around-the-clock power. With that in mind, Los Angeles company Karman Industries recently announced the launch of what it calls the "Heat Processing Unit (HPU)," a modular 10MW integrated thermal platform engineered to solve the "speed-to-power" crisis facing AI h

Last chance to register for this late February energy conference in the Bay Area In partnership with Stanford University, the Volta 2026 conference is set for February 26-28 out in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's one of only a few events that have zeroed in on one of the world's fastest-growing industries: battery storage. Volta convenes leaders across the battery supply chain and is billed as "a global stage for insight, innovation, and collaboration shaping the future of e

Repair advocacy begins 2026 with a rapid start For a movement that historically runs into onerous resistance, the start of 2026 must feel rewarding for "Right to Repair" advocates. Already, at least 33 Right to Repair bills have been introduced across 13 states this calendar year, according to The Repair Association, along with four more states introducing five additional bills focused on cars and motorcycles. "This year’s bills cover everything from cars and farm equipment t

Henk de Swardt joins EASA Henk de Swardt has joined the EASA (Electrical Apparatus Service Association) staff as a Technical Support Specialist. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, he holds a bachelor of science in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Johannesburg. De Swardt worked at various companies for 16 years as an engineer, engineering manager and engineering director before accepting a position as head of ABB’s Electric Motor Design Depa

Worker productivity grew at its fastest pace in two years last quarter Worker productivity grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, other data from the Labor Department showed January 8, suggesting "the much-anticipated artificial intelligence-driven boom was underway," according to Lucia Mutikani, an economist at Reuters . "The productivity surge, which depressed unit labor costs, underscored what economists have termed a jobless economic expansion," Mutik

Capstone project completed: 6.6 megawatt facility in North Carolina Capstone Green Energy Holdings, Inc. , together with its subsidiaries, a Los Angeles-based renewables company focused on "ultra-low emission microturbine energy solutions" announced completing the installation of its 6.6-megawatt combined heat and power (CHP) microturbine system at a landmark renewable energy facility in North Carolina, per a January 7 press release. This waste-to-energy project "marks a mean

California utility delivers on promise; electrical rates cut for the fourth time in two years Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) , California's largest utility and one of the biggest in the nation, cut electric rates for the fourth time in two years on January 1, 2026. Natural gas rates also are going down, per a company press release sent to Electrical Apparatus dated December 30th. Combined with previous decreases, residential electric rates will reportedly be 11% lo

There are jobs in Ohio if you're willing to consider working on "air taxis" Joby Aviation, Inc. , a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire a manufacturing facility in the Dayton, Ohio area spanning more than 700,000 square feet. The facility, which is ready for immediate use, "will initially support Joby’s plans to double production to four aircraft per month in 2027, while also providing space

Fresh advice from a trusted source on identifying motor imbalance signs early Motor imbalances develop gradually, often showing subtle indicators months before catastrophic failure. Some fresh advice from Megger contains valuable tips on how to identify certain motor failures associated with imbalance before they occur, with a focus on testing protocols. While obvious symptoms like excessive vibration get immediate attention, early-stage warning signs frequently go undetected

CWIEME announces special EEMODS forum on motor efficiency CWIEME Berlin has been selected as the host of the prestigious EEMODS conference in 2026 , bringing one of the world’s leading forums on energy efficiency in motor-driven systems (there's that acronym) directly to the heart of the electrical engineering community. The partnership marks a powerful alignment of vision and ambition, reinforcing CWIEME Berlin’s role as a global destination where power meets progress. Celeb

Jan. 9 deadline for Cleanpower submissions; registration for show is open Upcoming deadline notice: If you or a co-worker is interested in speaking about the energy sector, you can still register now to January 9th for the lowest available CLEANPOWER 2026 registration rate. For a chance to present, submit a proposal for one of the following presentation styles: Clean Power Insights Presentations (quick hit, TED-style stage presentations) Poster Presentations Submission deadli

The Bollinger Motors saga is the latest example of difficulties with tech-industrial startups Tech-industrial startups lean heavily on the notion of "innovation", which, as we've covered in print, is a precariously nebulous term. Bollinger Motors of Oak Park, Michigan is going through the EV startup struggle. The Detroit Free Press is credited with speaking to Bollinger first and confirming the shutdown. SEC filings are available to view also, but Bollinger hasn't confirmed

Who knew AI needed maintenance? McNally Capital , a growth-oriented private equity firm specializing in middle market aerospace & defense and industrial technology & services investments, announced its acquisition of Airforce Turbine Service, Ltd. , an independent global aviation services company specializing in maintenance, repair, and overhaul (“MRO”) of the PT6A turboprop engine family. As part of the transaction, "Turbine Engine Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (“TEMRO”) w

An innovative linear image sensor for line scan cameras and visual inspections Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched " TCD2400DG ," a lens-reduction type CCD linear image sensor developed expressly for line scan cameras used in visual inspections. Shipments started December 17th on the new product. Image inspection equipment that integrates line scan cameras, including color sorters, is used in diverse applications, among them sorting and grading foo

U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrinks to smallest since 2020 The US trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in September to the smallest since mid-2020 as exports surged. The goods and services trade gap shrank nearly 11% from the prior month to $52.8 billion, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists was for a $63.1 billion deficit. The value of US exports rose 3% to the second-highest level on record, fueled by non-monet

Florida company Suncoast launches a web of charging stations Suncoast Charging Corporation announced the official launch of its EV charging network, beginning with its first electric vehicle DC fast charging station in Land O’Lakes, Florida, the Tampa company said in a Nov. 26 press release. The station officially marks the beginning of Suncoast Charging’s network buildout planned for 2026 and beyond. Serving up to eight vehicles simultaneously and featuring up to 325 kW fas

Rise in accidents, fatalities trigger a call for new safety regulations E-bike fatalities have surged in recent years, with 193 deaths reported in the U.S. from 2017 to 2023, highlighting the growing safety concerns associated with these vehicles. This translates to an average of approximately 27.6 deaths per year. A significant increase in fatalities has been observed, particularly from 2018 to 2022, where 104 fatalities were recorded, with a notable rise in deaths each year

V2G Summit includes call to action for electrification, digital integration The V2G Leaders Europe Summit gathered over two hundred expert representatives from policy, research, industry, grid operations, standardization, and innovation ecosystems on November 20 in Brussels for its first summit on the future of smart and bidirectional charging. The overarching message throughout plenaries, sessions and technical workshops was clear: Europe has the technological maturity, regu

Details on A3's upcoming gathering in Orlando Alongside of EA' s January Robotics and Automation issue, readers can consider augmenting their knowledge of those industries with attending an upcoming forum, either online or in person. The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced the A3 Business Forum 2026, one of the automation industry's premier annual networking events for professionals in robotics, vision & imaging, motion control & motors, and artificial intell