Intelligent Power Today Magazine

News and Trends

Counterfeiting Kills

Each year, the counterfeiting of well-known brands and products continues to rise, creating an even more threatening problem. Such well-known counterfeited brands, including consumer safety and critical electrical products, are estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) estimates that the counterfeiting of distinguished brands costs industries $600 billion each year worldwide and may result in as many as 750,000 lost jobs every year in the United States.

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Buyer's Guide

News & Trends

2024 CE Code Training - Better Understanding of the Rules

CE Code training is intended to do a lot more than instruct about what changes have taken place since the last time Canada issued a national electrical code. We are producing a series of courses across Canada by one of Canada’s leading experts on the 2024 Edition of Canada’s Electrical...

State of Industry

Illuminating Decisions: EPRI Lights the Way for Modern Lighting Adoption

Facility managers and operators understand the critical role lighting plays in their daily operations. Accounting for roughly 30% of a commercial building's energy load, lighting significantly impacts energy consumption and associated maintenance costs. However, focusing solely on the...

Featured

Advanced protection against electromagnetic exposures and electric arc

HAZARDS AROUND While working live in the energized grid, presence of voltage around the workers requires special attention. However, live-line (live working) techniques are widely applied for decades, several accidents in the past prove that the level of safety must be improved to minimize...

Power Quality Training

Power Quality & Grounding

Compatibility Issues with Generator-Backed Power Systems

Line-interactive uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems play a vital role in maintaining seamless operation during power outages. Their integration with backup generators, however, can pose challenges regarding synchronization and power quality. While both UPS systems and generators serve as...

Electrical Grounding and the Weather

How resistance testing is affected by the elements BY JEFF JOWETT, Megger Ground resistance testing is affected by the weather as much as any common electrical test—and sometimes even more so. Both the instrument and the test item are affected. With ground resistance testing, the test item is not...

The Art of Ground Testing

Correcting the misconceptions of ground testing BY JEFF JOWETT, Megger Ground resistance testing is sometimes described as an “art”, and indeed something can be said for that description. Familiarity with the basic issues and common problems, however, can take much of the “art” out of it...

Power Usage Effectiveness in Data Centers

Guidance for calculation of efficiency in data centers BY VICTOR AVELAR, Schneider Electric The benefits of determining data center infrastructure efficiency as part of an effective energy management plan are widely recognized. The standard metrics of power usage effectiveness (PUE) and its...

INSULATION RESISTANCE TEST

Insulation Resistance (IR) test, often called Megger test, is more than 100 years old and assumed to be a very straightforward test. During my inspection and testing work in the past 15 years in Canada, US, and internationally, I have seen different practices of performing and interpretation of IR test.
The application of IR test includes:
At the point of installation, pre-commissioning to ensure minimum specifications are met

Verify proper installation after a repair
Troubleshooting
Periodic preventive maintenance

The value of insulation resistance depends upon the equipment type, voltage rating and is very sensitive to the temperature. The result of...