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How a single offshore wind farm could power the globe
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalCivilization has come so far in the last 200 years — from the Industrial Revolution to the rise in mass transportation, space travel to global flights and instant exchange of information via the world wide web — but there are still advancements that are beyond our reach.
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How will Puerto Rico fix its energy grid?
Michelle R. Matisons EngineeringPuerto Rico's death toll from Hurricane Maria remains hotly contested. The official government number stands at 55, but officials acknowledged that 472 more people died in September 2017 than the previous year.
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Technology driving construction changes in Europe
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsOne of the defining questions in the European construction industry at the moment is how to reduce time on site. This comes from the logic that the quicker a construction program is completed, the higher the profit margins for the contractors and the quicker the customer can get to making money from whatever use the building is being put to.
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The importance of project governance and tactful decision-making
Daniel Waters Construction & Building MaterialsProject governance is a topic applicable to all projects, large or small. The difference is that the scale and formality will grow as the project increases in size. Commonalities of good project governance structures include signing the owner's representative first, establishing a project leadership team early, following defined criteria for success, managing stakeholders effectively, resolving conflict in a positive manner and using vendor resources.
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Tesla testing its solar capabilities in Puerto Rico rebuild
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalAmid reports coming out of Puerto Rico's devastation, there is news of an effort to bring solar power to the island for short-term relief. Around 75 percent of the island still lacks power after Hurricane Maria. In the longer term, solar power is also being considered as a way to build a new energy grid featuring a strong renewable energy element.
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Retailers hold the key to Europe’s F-Gas transition
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsIn previous posts, I have lamented the slow take-up of conversion to lower-GWP refrigerants in Europe and have presented several doom-laden scenarios about what might happen to refrigerant prices and availability if the industry doesn’t get a move on. I thought I would start this one off a bit more positively, and share a new a report that, while also lamenting the slow take-up of conversions, does move on to make some useful suggestions and recommendations for policy action.
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Common generator problems in industrial settings
Clayton Costello EngineeringGenerators need to run smoothly and efficiently to effectively power necessary equipment in industrial settings. However, there are a few common problems industrial generators encounter that factory managers, OEMs and owners should be aware of in order to prevent downtime. The single most common generator problem is neglected maintenance, but improper sizing and inadequate fuel supply are also problems that occur often.
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The business of laser scanning: Surveyors and ‘wedding photographers’
Ken Smerz Science & TechnologyOur story begins many years ago when surveyors ruled the world. The highly trained professionals who are an absolute necessity in a world of land ownership, wealth and political control. After all, they're the ones responsible for accurately documenting the earth — right?
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Houston floods: Exclamation points in the debate over urban…
Lucy Wallwork Waste Management & EnvironmentalWhile climate change is a global topic, events like the catastrophic floods we have seen in Houston after Hurricane Harvey remind us that the consequences can be very local.
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The importance of narratives
Marc Cheves Science & TechnologyNo, not the kind that fill our news nowadays. The kind I believe surveyors should be preparing. Carl Clinton, a former county surveyor in Oregon, makes an eloquent case for why we should be leaving a written record of our surveys. Like Clinton, I have long felt that narratives should be a requirement of almost any survey.
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