This Muskegon woman lost two houses to fires in less than a week, she was just waiting on the current resident to leave in order to move into this one.

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. Around 4 a.m. on Sunday Oct. 18, a house on the corner of Jiroch and Grand Avenue began to burn, according to fire officials.

The current resident was in the hospital and a nephew that stayed with him was not at home, according to neighbors in the community.

But back in March, Minister Cherrilynn Bell Anderson put a couple of thousand dollars down on a land contract. She was just waiting for the current resident to move out, before she moved in.

As she looked at the houses remains, all she could think about was the house she lost to the same fate last week.

"I put money down on this house, because my other house on Maffet and Delano that I was working on to do a program, called the House of Refuge and Empowerment Center, I was working on that house to do a program for the community but that house burned down last week, on the 9th," Minister Bell said. "Meanwhile while that house is burning, down I'm thinking well at least I planned to get that other house down the street so that I can have somewhere eventually to lay down in. I've been waiting for this man to move out, and he hasn't done that yet, but now I'm out of two houses and I still don't have a house to stay in, but I still have my vision."

Neighbors Vicky Sweeton and John Davis explained to us the scene this morning. Here is their timeline:

Officials have not yet released the home owners name or what caused the blaze. As 13 ON YOUR SIDE learns more, we will provide those updates.

Minister Bell asks that the community pray for both his family and her vision of a community refuge home of empowerment to make it into Muskegon Heights.

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this.Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Muskegon house fire will not burn down this woman's dream - WZZM13.com

The Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market report, with a key emphasis on the production and consumption aspects, leverages multi-disciplinary research practices to arrive at the mentioned conclusions and industry forecasts. It outlines the major drivers and opportunities pivotal to business expansion while simultaneously preparing stakeholders for effectively dealing with the challenges and risks prevailing in this vertical.

Proceeding further, the research document offers a clear picture of the competitive landscape by deconstructing popular business strategies and conducting a SWOT analysis of the leading organizations. Besides, it sheds light on how Covid-19 will change the market forecast and what impact it leave in the near future.

Main pointers from the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market report TOC:

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The research process begins with internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market. It also provides an overview and forecast for the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market based on all the segmentation provided for the global region. The predictions highlighted in the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market share report have been derived using verified research procedures and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every component of the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) market.

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Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) Market Professional Survey 2020 by Manufacturers, Share, Growth, Trends, Types and Applications,...

Issued on: 20/10/2020 - 08:34

Beijing (AFP)

Donald Trump has frustrated and enraged China during a tumultuous first term, but Beijing may welcome his re-election as it scans the horizon for the decline of its superpower rival.

Relations are as icy as at any time since formal ties were established four decades ago, with China warning it does not want to be drawn into a new "Cold War" with the United States.

Under his 'America First' banner, Trump has portrayed China as the greatest threat to the United States and global democracy.

He has launched a massive trade war that has cost China billions of dollars, harangued Chinese tech firms and lay all the blame for the pandemic with Beijing.

But another Trump triumph in November may have its advantages for China as President Xi Jinping seeks to cement his nation's rise as a global superpower.

China's leadership could be handed "the opportunity to boost its global standing as a champion for globalisation, multilateralism, and international cooperation," said Zhu Zhiqun, professor of political and international relations, Bucknell University.

Trump has pulled America from a sprawling Asia-Pacific commercial deal and climate agreements, imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese goods, and withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization at the height of a global pandemic.

Where the US has retreated, Xi has stepped forward.

He has presented his country as the champion of free trade and a leader in the fight against climate change, as well as vowed to share any potential Covid-19 vaccine with poorer nations.

"A second Trump term could give China more time to rise as a great power on the world stage," Zhu said.

Philippe Le Corre, a China expert at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, agreed an extension of Trump's 'America First' policies would be of long-term benefit for Beijing.

"(It) partially cuts Washington off from its traditional allies," he added, and that gave China room to manouevre.

China's nationalists have openly cheered, or jeered, for Trump.

"You can make America eccentric and thus hateful for the world," Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a chest-beating nationalist paper, warned in a Tweet directed at the US president.

"You help promote unity in China."

Trump is also lampooned on China's heavily censored social media as 'Jianguo', meaning "help to build China".

- Biden trouble -

Trump has undoubtedly inflicted economic and political pain on China.

"China has lost out enormously in its plan for trade and technology," said Beijing-based political analyst Hua Po.

In January the US and China signed a deal bringing a partial truce in their trade war that obliged Beijing to import an additional $200 billion in American products over two years, ranging from cars to machinery and oil to farm products.

Washington has also turned its guns on Chinese tech firms it says poses security threats, throwing the future US operations of video-sharing app TikTok -- owned by Chinese parent company Bytedance -- into uncertainty.

Mobile giant Huawei is also on Trump's hitlist.

The enmity also extends into defence and human rights, with Taiwan, Hong Kong and the treatment of China's Muslim Uighur minority all making waves in US.

But China may not win much relief in any of these areas if Trump loses to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Beijing worries that Biden is likely to renew American leadership on human rights, pressing China on issues of the Uighurs, Tibet and freedom in Hong Kong.

"Biden is likely to be tougher than Trump on human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet," said Zhu, of Bucknell University.

And on tech and trade -- crucial flash points in the US-China rivalry -- it is unclear just how much room a Biden White House would have to manoeuvre.

"Biden will inherit the tariffs, and I'm doubtful he would lift them unilaterally," said Bonnie Glaser, Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Beijing will probably have to concede to other US demands if it wants the tariffs lifted."

China will also have to come up with convincing arguments on data security if it is to avoid more damaging bans on its tech firms.

Washington sees Huawei -- the global leader on 5G internet -- as a serious security threat.

"Politically, it will be almost impossible for Biden to reverse these policies," Fallon said.

"Huawei has been on the US radar as a security threat even before the Trump presidency."

2020 AFP

Original post:
Why Beijing may want to keep Trump in the White House - RFI

A brief but powerful storm raged through town Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 7, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Strong winds downed many trees, taking out electrical poles and wires, and wiping out power for many residents across town. Some neighborhoods were left without power for days. With 14 roads made hazardous or impassable by fallen trees and live wires, the Harvard Fire Department had no choice but to dispatch all five of its engines to survey the situation and block dangerous roads.

In an interview with the Press, Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Nigzus explained that the Fire Department worked with both the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Police Department to respond to callers reporting fallen tree branches and power lines. The department also communicated with National Grid, working to provide a complete list of all the downed wires and power outages. Each fire truck and crew was assigned to a different location in town, and DPW crews helped to start clearing debris, and brought cones and barriers to block off roads. Nigzus noted that there were 28 different locations in town that experienced significant issues from the storm.

High winds from a front that blew into town around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, brought many trees and wires down. As the sun came up, tree and utility crews began the chore of clearing trees from downed wires, starting with the worst-hit roads. (Photos by Tim Clark)

Despite the fire station operating on an on-call basis, many volunteers were at the ready when calls started coming in. Wednesday is training night for the firefighters, Nigzus said, so lots of people planned to be at the station. This coincidence helped the crew to quickly start responding to calls. Nigzus himself was not out in the harsh weather, but worked as a dispatcher at the station.

With so many residents calling the Fire Department, the station set up its own dispatch instead of using the regional dispatch, which is connected to multiple towns. Nigzus explained that doing so sped up the firefighters response time and helped them to better communicate, since all the trucks were out as well. I helped coordinate, he said, explaining that he answered calls and also coordinated resources and assigned firefighters to each location. He also had those on duty report back to him. We ran the dispatch from the station from 18:00 [6 p.m.] to about 22:30 [10:30 p.m.], Nigzus said.

The storm posed a lot of difficulties for residents that night, as well as in the days that followed. Jen Manell, for instance, had a particularly harrowing experience. About to head home from her kids canceled soccer practice at Charlie Waite Field, she was informed that a power line was down by her house, rendering her own street impassable, she wrote in an email to the Press. Manell said it took her an hour and a half to return home in the storm after being detoured multiple times around fallen trees, and even a branch on a power line that was on fire. The branch exploded a couple times, and I was thankful to not have driven under it, she wrote.

Kayaks were blown off the racks at the town beach after strong winds coursed through town.

Although cleaning up in the aftermath of the storm went smoothlyFire Chief Rick Sicard wrote in an email forwarded to the Press that by the end of the day Thursday, most of the fallen trees and branches had been removed and only a couple of roads remained impassablethe power remained out for many.

Manells family was without power for 48 hours and without internet for another day after that. We have a generator to run our water, heat, fridge, and freezer. We ran that intermittently and grilled or used a camp stove otherwise, she wrote. The big challenge, however, was her childrens remote schooling without electricity.

Despite the damage seen throughout much of town, Harvards orchards were not affected. We did not have any damage from the storm to the crop, thankfully, Frank Carlson, one of the owners of Carlson Orchards, told the Press. Most of the crop was picked, and the latest ripening varieties hung on through the wind or were in protected places.

At the Harvard Press office upstairs at the General Store, editor John Osborn described trying to finish the newspaper as the storm passed through. The lights flickered off and the internet went up and down for 10 minutes or so, but we never lost power and were able to upload the paper to our [New Hampshire] printer that evening, he wrote. We held our breath. Osborn said that he was also listening to the regional dispatcher, who was working hard to answer an onslaught of incoming calls.

By Friday, all but one [dangerous situation] was resolved and thats since been taken care of, Nigzus said. He expressed gratitude for the firefighters, DPW workers, and police who helped to keep the streets safe during the storm, as well as to National Grid for fixing the downed power lines and working to restore electricity to the town.

Read more from the original source:
Flash storm leaves neighborhoods without power, roads a tangle of trees and wires - Harvard Press

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio has been monitoring the aircraft engine electrical wiring harnesses and cable assembly market and it is poised to grow by $ 110.00 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. AMETEK Inc., Amphenol Corp., Carlisle Companies Inc., HarcoSemco LLC, Melrose Industries Plc, Nexans SA, Radiall SA, Raytheon Technologies Corp., Safran SA, and TE Connectivity Ltd. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Development of technologically advanced, next-generation aircraft components has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market 2020-2024 : Segmentation

Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market is segmented as below:

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43848

Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market 2020-2024 : Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our aircraft engine electrical wiring harnesses and cable assembly market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies use of smart glasses to assist engine wire harness and cable assembly process as one of the prime reasons driving the aircraft engine electrical wiring harnesses and cable assembly market growth during the next few years.

Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market 2020-2024 : Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the aircraft engine electrical wiring harnesses and cable assembly market, including some of the vendors such as AMETEK Inc., Amphenol Corp., Carlisle Companies Inc., HarcoSemco LLC, Melrose Industries Plc, Nexans SA, Radiall SA, Raytheon Technologies Corp., Safran SA, and TE Connectivity Ltd. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the aircraft engine electrical wiring harnesses and cable assembly market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market 2020-2024 : Key Highlights

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Application

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Appendix

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Insights & Forecast with Potential Impact of COVID-19 - Aircraft Engine Electrical Wiring Harnesses and Cable Assembly Market 2020-2024 |...

Jeremy Close had a vision for the two-story fixer-upper he bought in Ottawa with an inheritance check.

Despite the house being nearly completely gutted, the disabled Marine veteran saw an opportunity to move his family of four out of his parents' 1,100-square-foot house.

He's been working on the house himself since October. Although he's spent his days and nights removing wiring and plumbing to safely restore the house, he realized he will need help both physically and financially if he hopes to move his family in before the school year begins.

That's where Habitat for Humanity of La Salle, Bureau and Putnam Counties is assisting.

Close reached out to the agency for assistance and has complied with the guidelines of the Habitat Veterans Build Program.

The organization has offered him overstock it has while working on its new home build on Catherine Street in Ottawa, including insulation, toilets, sinks, tile, electrical equipment and paint.

But there is so much thats needed, including volunteers to help, the organization said.

About 15 people attended an open house Saturday at the Ottawa Avenue home to drum up support for Close's project.

Habitat is asking for volunteers Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning Wednesday, July 8. Anyone wanting to help can contact the office at 815-434-2041.

"Reaching out for help was a hard decision for him," said his wife, Jordan Johnson.

Close admitted it was a wise decision.

"For anyone else out there in the same situation, I'd encourage them to reach out for help before you get too far in," Close said. "I've received so much help just in the level of information and knowledge people are sharing. It really saves you from doing something before you might have to go back and redo it."

Close is a lifelong resident in the Ottawa area and is a returning disabled veteran. He has completed tours of combat duty in the Haditha Triad and one involved in the retaking of Fallujah.

The inheritance he used to buy the house was from a family member and veteran who lost his life to PTSD.

Close plans to use the garage to set up a woodworking shop and business to provide for his family, which includes two children ages 4 and 1.

"This is a wonderful story and the kind of project we want to be involved in," said Sally M. Van Cura, executive director at Habitat for Humanity of La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam Counties. "We want to help out our veterans as much as we can."

When Close first floated buying the house, Johnson was apprehensive, she said. Now, she's seeing her husband's vision more and more, and she's not the only one.

Visitors at Saturday's open house were nodding along: "I can see it."

Continued here:
Habitat is helping an Ottawa veteran with his vision for a new home - MyWebTimes.com

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global silicon metal market is expected to grow by USD 675.35 million during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect the impact to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on the full-year economic growth.

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Aluminum-silicon alloys have witnessed a significant increase in demand from the automotive and transport industries. These alloys are popular because of their ability to exhibit a unique combination of characteristics, such as casting into complex shapes in combination with a favorable strength-to-weight ratio giving them an edge over cast irons. Moreover, they exhibit low density combined with good mechanical properties. Aluminum-silicon alloys are primarily used as castings. In addition, they are used for making sheets and wires for welding and brazing, and a few of the piston alloys are extruded for forging stock. Silicon is the key alloying element as it imparts high fluidity and low shrinkage, resulting in good casting ability and weldability properties. The low thermal expansion coefficient is used in pistons, while and the high hardness of the silicon particles is incorporated for wear resistance. Thus, the increase in demand for aluminum-silicon alloys will drive the growth of the market.

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43890

As per Technavio, the increased use of polycrystalline silicon will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024.

Silicon Metal Market: Increased Use of Polycrystalline Silicon

The increased use of polycrystalline silicon is expected to drive the growth of the silicon metal market during the forecast period. Polycrystalline silicon, also known as polysilicon or poly-Si, is a high-purity, polycrystalline form of silicon, produced from silicon metal by a chemical purification process, and is used as a raw material by the solar photovoltaic and electronics industry. Currently, polysilicon is used in the conducting materials in semiconductor devices, such as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET); however, it can be used for large-scale photovoltaic devices as well. The abundance, stability, and low toxicity of silicon combined with the low cost of polysilicon compared to single crystals makes this material ideal for photovoltaic production. Polycrystalline silicon does not require to be deposited on a silicon wafer to form a solar cell, rather it can be deposited on other cheaper materials such as glass, thus reducing the cost.

Factors such as the diverse applications of silicon, and the increase in the demand for aluminum will have a significant impact on the growth of the silicon metal market value during the forecast period, says a senior analyst at Technavio.

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Silicon Metal Market: Segmentation Analysis

This market research report segments the silicon metal market by application (aluminum alloys, silicones and silanes, solar panels, semiconductors, and others) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA).

The APAC region led the silicon metal market in 2019, followed by North America, Europe, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to factors such as the high demand for aluminum alloys from the automotive industry, optimistic economic growth, easy availability of raw materials, cheap labor, and power costs.

Technavios sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Global Silicon Metal Market 2020-2024 | Increase in the Demand for Aluminum-Silicon Alloys to Boost Market Growth | Technavio - Business Wire

Never leave a fire unattended when heating up your house.

Heating your home during winter is associated with certain risks, such as electric shocks, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.

As the temperature drops, the need to keep your home warm increases.

Because heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires, you need to be sensible when switching on your electric heater, starting your gas heater or lighting a fire in your wood-burning fireplace.

In May, ER24 paramedics arrived at a scene where a couple had sustained serious burn wounds when their cooking fire flared out of control at a block of flats in Manor, Pietermaritzburg.

The man sustained burns over most of his body while the woman had sustained burns over both her legs.

Both were rushed to hospital for further treatment, says Russel Meiring, communications officer for ER24.

Also read:

Public warned not to go to sleep with imbawula in their homes

Heres how to minimise the danger.

To ensure you or members of your family arent injured by heating your home, remember this advice.

Never use camping heating equipment, such as a charcoal braai, indoors because of the major risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is formed from the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing material.

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide builds up in your bloodstream.

When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, your body replaces the oxygen in your red blood cells with carbon monoxide.

This can lead to serious tissue damage or even death.

Because it is odourless, colourless and non-irritating, you wont even notice when you are absorbing carbon monoxide.

Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include weakness, dizziness, confusion, nausea and shortness of breath.

If you think you or someone youre with may have carbon monoxide poisoning, get into the fresh air and call ER24 on 084 124.

Also read:

Adhere to these fire safety tips to prevent a fire emergency during the winter months

Keep flammable items (such as blankets and clothes) at least one metre from heat sources.

Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children and never leave candles burning if you go to bed or leave your home.

Check electrical wiring on heaters and dont use extension cords, multi-plugs or any device with frayed wiring.

If you use an electric blanket, make sure it does not have any tears or exposed wires. Do not leave it on while unattended.

Dont leave your open fireplace unattended as stray embers can cause a fire.

Ensure you have a protective screen around open fireplaces, never use it to dry clothes or shoes and never go to bed before putting out the fire.

Keep a window open when using your indoor fireplace or gas heater to ensure adequate ventilation.

Keep a small household fire extinguisher in your home and ensure everyone in the family knows how to use it.

See original here:
Heat your home safely this winter - Springs Advertiser

The Spirit of Alberta has been parked near Stettler, AB, since 2012 waiting for costly boiler repairs. Now, the repair project has begun and more donations are needed to finish the job. | File photo

Fuchsia Dragon| publisher@fitzhugh.ca

Work has begun on the Spirit of Alberta to bring it back to the rails.

The 75-year-old steam engine, which used to call Jasper home, has been out of service and parked near Stettler since 2012, waiting for costly boiler repairs.

The Rocky Mountain Rail Society had initially planned to conduct the repairs after raising the entire amount of funds needed, about $650,000, but have now decided to move ahead with the initial stage of the repair.

The initial stage will cost an estimated $50,000, money that has come from a combination of Alberta Gaming and Liquor Casino funding and private donations. It will see contractor dfBioiler Tube Industries of Edmonton remove about 100 boiler staybolts that require replacement. The staybolts provide strength in sections of the boiler while allowing water and steam free flowing room to move.

Those bolts will be replaced in stage two of the repair plan, which the society will work towards funding after completing the first stage. Stage three is the repair of the boiler patches and holes.

Rich Graydon, a spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Rail Society, said: We realize in the current economic situation it will be difficult to complete the project. We hope that our project will provide jobs for Albertans and demonstrate our commitment to doing our part.

To date, the society has raised and spent about $182,000 on the project, $132,000 of which was spent on conducting metallurgical tests and developing a repair plan over the last eight years.

It is incumbent on all Albertans and Canadians to do what they can in this time of economic need, said Graydon.

We hope that this small gesture will lead to other non-profit groups to look at their plans and encourage them to continue their missions.

The 6060 locomotive was assembled in Canadas Montreal Locomotive Works in 1944 and retired from active service in 1959.

It was saved from the scrapper by Jaspers Harry Home and placed on static display in Jasper in 1962 before being restored by CN Railway and used to haul steam excursions out of Toronto a decade later.

In 1980, the train was presented to the people of Alberta as a gift to commemorate the provinces 75th anniversary, and was restored by the Rocky Mountain Rail Society, participating in the Steam Expo in Vancouver in 1986.

In 1998, the locomotive began operations in partnership with Alberta Prairie Steam Tours in Stettler, Alberta. Its last year of service was in 2011. The Rocky Mountain Rail Society is now working to restore 6060 to service.

For more information on the Rocky Mountain Rail Society and locomotive 6060, go online to http://www.6060.org.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Fitzhugh is now soliciting donations from readers. This program is designed to support our local journalism in a time where our advertisers are unable to due to their own economic constraints. Fitzhugh has always been a free product and will continue to be free. This is a means for those who can afford to support local media to help ensure those who cant afford to can get access to trusted local information. You can make a one-time or a monthly donation of any amount and cancel at any time.

Click on https://support.fitzhugh.ca for more information or to make your donation.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Read more:
Work begins on historic 6060 locomotive to bring it back to the rails Jasper's source for news, sports, arts, culture, and more - the fitzhugh

Home battery storage has grown precipitously in recent years, but it still doesnt match the scale and accessibility of a home appliance.

Orison has been trying to change that since 2013. Now, the Wyoming-based startup ispreparing to ship its sleek, plug-in home battery panels in July for field tests in Australia, Europe and the U.K., where it has met the safety standards for operation.

We wanted to be more of a consumer electricity product, a simple solution for consumers, founder and CEO Eric Clifton said in an interview. The idea was an appliance that is not infrastructure, because the entire storage industry was still looking at it as infrastructure.

The formerly crowdfunded company announced Monday that it closed an $8.5 million seed roundand is opening up a Series A. Australian electricity retailer Origin participated in the seed fundingand signed a memorandum of understanding to put up to 4,000 Orison battery devices into customer homes starting early next year.

A full U.S. commercial launch is expected by years end, pending UL safety certification of the product model geared for the American grid.

Home battery companies aspire to make essential connected home devices. Shell subsidiary sonnenstuck its ecoLinx batteries in every living room of an apartment complex in Utahto emphasize the personal connection. But todays battery offerings still require specialized installation, permittingand utility involvement. Theyre a long way off from the experience of buying a TV or smart speaker.

Orison took a different approach. It will ship the components to a customer, who can then assemble them no piece weighs more than 28 pounds and plug the system into the wall. Once installed, the battery and a connected home energy monitor will coordinate charge and discharge around rooftop solar production and time-based utility rates. In an outage, the battery cant automatically island the home, but devices plugged into it will continue to operate.

The energy monitor costs $300 and the battery system costs $2,200 for 1.8 kilowatts/2.2 kilowatt-hours. That translates to a far less favorable system price per kilowatt-hour than Teslas Powerwall, which packs 13.5 kilowatt-hours for $6,500.

But Powerwalls require wiring auxiliary equipment and hours of installation labor, and Orison's product does not. That makes the all-in price more competitive on a dollar per kilowatt-hour basis. And Orison has the benefit of a considerably smaller entry-level price point, which could entice customers who want to try storage but dont want to drop upwardof$10,000.

With productsmade by the competition, you're looking at permits, you're looking at utility approval, multiple estimates of construction costs, Clifton said. Ours, literally, we can ship it to you within a week and you can be up and running. [] Its instant gratification.

Demand for this is still an unproven proposition because storage providers have not offered home batteries on a truly plug-and-play basis. But thats where Orisons crowdfunding episode comes in.The company had funded its early development with money from high-net-worth individuals and angel investors before it launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2016.

The Kickstarter campaign we did less for the money [and]more to show investors that consumers wanted the product, Clifton said. It drew 415 backers, who together pledged 700 percent of the target amount.

This unique approach to residential batteries comes with some tradeoffs. For one, rulesfor conventional battery equipment, such as eligibility criteria for Californias lucrative Self-Generation Incentive Program, werent written with appliance-based storage in mind. Orison is working with authorities to ensure its style of storage is treated like other types of storage, Clifton said.

More permanently, the micro-storage appliance model constrains the kinds of things Orison batteries can do.

In order to be an appliance, we can never export power beyond the utility meter, Clifton said.

But the batteries can reduce household demand to zero, reducing peak-hour electricity billsand helping utilities lower peak demand on their system. Thats not so different from networks of more typical batteries, which are linked into virtual power plants to respond to grid needs; utilities sometimes forbid exporting power, even when the batteries are capable of it.

Batteries installed for whole-home backup include an automatic transfer switch to island the house from the distribution grid. Orison, as a plug-in appliance, does not. But customers who need backup power for life-saving medical devices, for instance, can plug directly into the Orison panel, using it like a mini generator that doesnt emit fumes, Clifton said.

Australias grid dynamics create an opportunity that is well tailored to Orisons capabilities.

Generous early feed-in tariffs for rooftop solar led to a widespread build-out, but those payment schemes have dropped off. Adding energy storage lets customers put their solar to better economic use by shifting it into the evening hours, instead of exporting at a low rate.

It helps that the typical rooftop system in Australia is around 2 kilowatts, Clifton said; thats much smaller than the average in the U.S.and a much better fit for Orisonsstorage capacity.

Utility Origin generates power and serves retail customers, a business model known as gen-tailer. It competes for retail customers, trying to convince new ones to sign up and existing customers to stay. Offering a battery like Orisons to reactivate rooftop solar and reduce bills could help with that.

At the same time, Origin must source power for all its customers. Having a network of 4,000 batteries under its control means the company couldturn down demand during peak hours, reducing exposure to buying expensive power from the market during those times.

The companies are still figuring out what the pricing scheme looks like, Clifton said. Origin could sell the units to customers, for instance, or offer storage as a service. In the U.S., Vermont utility Green Mountain Power subsidized Powerwalls for customers if they grantedpermission to the utility to operate them for peak events. Other utilities pay customers for the use of home batteries via virtual power plants.

What is clear is that working with Origin gives Orison, with just a handful of employees based in Cody, Wyoming, a major distribution channel to an overseas market. A 4,000-unit network would be equivalent to more than half the residential battery installations in the U.S. during its record-breaking first quarter, according to the latest Energy Storage Monitor.

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What If Consumers Could Just Buy Batteries and Plug Them In? - Greentech Media News