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New Energy, New Sources (continued...) May 2003 IBEW Journal Taking Great Care of the Evidence
Electrical requirements for the operating labs are demanding, St. Cyr said. The DNA-testing labs have to stay at a temperature range in the low 70s to ensure DNA evidence is not compromised. The building is equipped with room-size refrigerators to store evidence. A special room will house a scanning electron microscope that can magnify a million-plus times, while a regular scope magnifies 400 times. Other highlights of the building include a new indoor "shoot tank" for ballistics testing and an indoor shooting range, St. Cyr reported. The new facility provides separate "lab space for firearms, trace elements, questioned document, fingerprint and DNA analysis." Dozens of air venting systems prevent evidence contamination. County government officials and law enforcement officers say the new forensic lab will bolster cases in court. "If we want a top notch investigation, we need a state-of-the-art facility, and now we have one," said County Supervisor Mike Nevin. Doing the DNA work in-house gives the county more control over the amount of time it takes to get the work done, officials note. A Very Successful Launching "The photovoltaic installation was also physically challenging because of the hot weather, with temperatures in the 90s and even hotter on the roof," St. Cyr said. And the necessity for reengineering part of the design in the field caused substantial delay. "But thanks to the expertise of the IBEW management and a skilled union work force, Atlas/Pellizzari Electric finished the system on schedule for the official opening day." "On completion, the whole system powered up instantly with zero problems and without the complications so often associated with state-of-the-art installations," said Business Manager Meals. "The IBEW team brought considerable skills to this noteworthy project, and all are to be congratulated on a terrific job." For a report on other IBEW photovoltaic installations across the United States and Canada in recent years, see "The Promise of Solar Photovoltaics: IBEW Skills Help Power New Generation of Electrical Energy Projects," IBEW Journal, June 2001.
Relieving Washington Air
Pollution In West Virginia, the windmill farm "is a very big tourist attraction up here in Tucker County," said Local 596 Business Manager Darwin Snyder. "A lot of people come to look at the windmills. It’s quite a sight." The windmills are approximately 50 miles east of Clarksburg. The modern windmills generate energy in breezes as light as 7 miles per hour, Snyder said. Each turbine has computer sensors that rotate the propellers—with three 114-foot blades—directly into the wind for optimum performance. Generating power at gusts up to 50 miles per hour, the sensors cut off the turbines at speeds topping 50. Computer operated, each has its own weather station. Mountaineer Wind Energy Center’s output is 66 megawatts. Its developer, FPL Energy, is the country’s largest wind energy producer. Its power is transmitted onto Allegheny Power’s grid, where it is sold across the mid-Atlantic region. Growing Popularity The project reflects a trend in the increasing popularity of wind as an alternate source of energy. In 2002, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says, the generating capacity of wind power increased 10 percent, with 410 megawatts of new equipment going into service. And that growth follows an even better 2001, when a record 1,696 megawatts were installed. Vital to the industry—as well as plans for 200 more windmills in West Virginia—is a proposed multi-year tax credit, which is scheduled to expire on December 31. "Everybody’s waiting to see if the tax credit is approved," Snyder said. "I think we’ll get more work out of this." |
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