When it comes to renewable energy, progress is slow. That’s how it should be.

By Dave Martin, Western Regional Sales Manager, Connector Products Inc.
B.A. Environmental Science, Shippensburg University

If I only looked at the small percentage of renewable energy used in the U.S. from my background as an environmental scientist, I'd be unhappy with the sluggish pace of this country towards renewable resources. But my experience with utilities allows me to see that getting a cohesive national transmission grid that has an increased reliance on renewable sources of energy completed in 30 years would be so fast that I don't have a metaphor to do it justice. The fact that things are moving at all is encouraging.

Yes, the economy is a hold up. But it is temporary. Money will start to flow again and when it does there are countless wind projects ready to go that can immediately begin construction. If this lack of lending lasts a couple of years it will be a footnote in the history of wind power in this country. To be honest I feel this is a blessing in disguise. Most of the manufacturers do not have the capacity to meet the demands that would be placed on them should things progress as fast as they would if Obama's promises were met. There is also only so much capacity for wind power. A slower move is better for two reasons: It allows the manufacturers to build high quality capacity to meet the needs of the growing industry and it allows for a more sustained growth that will have more impact on jobs and economic growth.

The bigger issue in this country, and one that poses the greatest threat to the promises Obama made in the run up to the presidential elections, is the "not in my backyard" mentality. If we are to move things forward we must all petition our senators and congressmen to push for more federal control of transmission line placement and right-of-way acquisition. Ignoring off shore wind, which is not yet economically viable, most of the potential wind power is in the Great Plains and Midwest. But the greatest demand is from the coasts. The states in between fail to see the benefit of allowing transmission lines to pass through their states. They need to think as residents of this country rather than residents of their state only. Until we establish a federal body to oversee this issue, states will continue to pose a major impediment to progressing the cause of creating an efficient, cohesive nationwide transmission grind. Regardless of the source of the power, this is an import task that needs to be completed.

In regards to moving this country towards renewable energy, we have to remember that as far as the utilities are concerned, wind power has nothing to do with saving the environment and everything to do with finding a consistent source of energy that is not affected by the rising and volatile cost of fossil fuels. Until the costs of fossil fuels are high enough to push things forward, utilities will only do the bare minimum to satisfy the more environmentally conscious among their consumer base. If there is no economic reason to move to renewable sources of energy, we will stay with the status quo.

We saw a glimpse of this with the high gasoline prices last summer. The bike shop I frequent sold more dollars worth of racks, fenders and bags for people to commute to work then they did in bikes. These were not people who were already cyclists. These were not tree hugging environmentalists. These were average blue collar workers who saw that riding their bikes to work was far less expensive then driving. In all the years that I have been really aware of the threats facing the environment, this was the most encouraging thing I have ever seen. Too bad it didn't last.

Let me try and sum up. Environmentalists are unhappy and pessimistic with the slow pace of progress. Business people who are used to the glacial pace of change in utilities are happy with the progress and are optimistic because the potential for growth is great if we look past this temporary slump. People who work in the utility industry and care for the environment, should be happy with the fact that things are moving at all.

Time Savings Analysis: CPI mechanical wedge connectors vs. shoot-on connectors

A recent time trial conducted at an IOU utility determined that CPI's mechanical wedge connectors offer a 42% time savings during installation over shoot-on connectors. CPI bolted wedge connectors, which took an average of 3 minutes, 11 seconds per installation, average a time savings of 2 minutes and 20 seconds per connection over shoot-on connectors.

Connector Products Inc.'s Western Regional Sales Manager Dave Martin attended the time trial, which took place during a linemen training session over several says during April and May 2009. The utility had two objectives:

1. To train the linemen on all the connectors they might encounter on their system.

2. To determine the time savings, if any, between the shoot-on connectors the utility was already using on its system, and CPI mechanical wedge connectors.

All linemen had experience installing fire-on style connectors with gloves. This was the first time they had installed CPI bolted wedge connectors either by hot stick or gloves. All installations were performed using hot sticks and linemen did not know they were being timed.

The simulated job was installing a floating dead end then connecting a pole mounted switch to the conductor on either side of the dead end. Three connections were made using the shoot-on style connectors currently used on the utility’s system and three connections were made using CPI mechanical wedge connectors. Four linemen participated in each installation in two or three bucket trucks.

The traditional shoot-on connectors pictured above took an average of 5 minutes, 31 seconds per installation.

CPI’s bolted wedge connectors offer substantial hot stick installation time savings when compared to shoot-on connectors. It is expected that since this was the first time any of these linemen installed the CPI connectors, their installation time will improve with more experience.

It is likely that installation time can by cut in half by utilizing CPI connectors instead of shoot-on wedge connectors.

For more information or to get a copy of the Time Savings Analysis, please contact Dave Martin at davemartin@connectorproducts.com.

Learning about Windpower in the Windy City

During May 4-7, Connector Products Inc. exhibited at the Windpower Expo 2009, sponsored by AWEA (American Wind Energy Association). Since Connector Products is new to wind energy, Nick and I arrived in Chicago determined to learn everything we could about the industry itself, and how our Connector Products fits into it.




We wanted an education, and so did almost everybody else that had made the trip. From Texas ranchers and Amish farmers, to experienced European turbine manufacturers and small family businesses, the show attracted more than 20,000 exhibitors and attendees.

From engineers to construction workers, everybody knew something about wind power, and shared it. Some of the most fascinating tidbits of information were general facts about the gargantuan size of each wind turbine: the towers can be 250 feet high, and each blade can be 140 feet long. Even the nacelles weigh about 92 tons.





We spent the week learning from the great people who stopped by our booth to ask about our mechanical wedge connectors and swap stories. We chatted with some maintenance guys who actually assemble the turbines. Most of their job takes place about 250 feet in the air, but they didn't think it was a big deal. We talked to a lot of people from Texas, which AWEA ranked as the state with the most potential for wind and T. Boone Pickens plans to populate with massive wind farms. We also caught up with a couple original wind guys, who said they've been in the industry since the late 1980s, when just a couple hundred people would show up for shows like this. I noticed that there were a lot more young professionals and women involved in this show compared with other industry shows.

We were delighted to meet people who had used CPI's wedge connectors previously, and others who asked out our company founder, Mario Polidori or had worked with our company president, Tom Polidori. Some of our sales reps were there, including George Hovey, President of Utility Lines, Byron Howells of Riter Engineering, and Ron Haverstock and Tom Kaercher of Haverstock Bowers and Associates. We also learned a great deal from Ed Fay, co-owner of Spectrum Power Products. The old friends spent most of their time with us busting each other's chops. (Photo below from left to right: Tom Kaercher, Ron Haverstock, Nick Polidori, George Hovey, Ed Fay.)

Of course, Chicago is known as an eating-town, and the topic on everybody's tongue was "Where are you eating tonight?" After two locals recommended the same italian restaurant, the Italian Village, we convinced George and Ed to accompany us for dinner. The oldest italian restaurant in Chicago, Italian Village was designed to look like you were outdoors. A ceiling painted sky blue, twinkling lights, and lovely murals made it really unique. The food was delicious, and we listened to George's stories of hiking the Appalachian trail and his visit to rural China as we feasted on spinach and cheese-filled ravioli and lasagna. George and Ed even convinced Nick to try his first glass of scotch: Glenlivet (Nick must have liked it because he ordered it the next night at dinner too).

On Monday and Thursday our Western Regional Sales Manager and good friend Dave Martin drove down from Wisconsin to help us exhibit. Dave, who had been at a time trial where CPI's connectors were tested against shoot-on connectors, was fired up because our connectors were 42% faster to install than the competition and excited to tell other people about it. (Click here to read more.) We decided to channel his energy by Dave walking around the show to make sales calls on other exhibitors, and sharing the benefits of our products while looking at all of the neat exhibits at the Windpower show. (Photo below: Damien Robinson of Megger, Dave Martin, and Nick Polidori).

We asked a lot of questions, namely "Who is in charge of buying supplies (i.e. connectors) for the wind turbines?" The answer is that it varies from project to project. Each windfarm is built by a team that can be comprised of the following groups: project developer, site owner, construction company, consulting firm, engineering firm, electrical contractor and power purchaser. We weren't surprised by this answer, considering that the green movement which has driven wind energy to the mainstream has been a collaborative effort. (Photo below: a model of wind farm construction.)

We also learned about some of the challenges that the industry is working hard to overcome.

-Logistics is a big one. It can take up to eight tractor trailer trips to haul all of the materials for one wind turbine to its location, which is usually in a hard-to-access area like a desterned plain or high mountain. Still, that's nothing compared to the task of building an entire coal-fired power plant or nuclear power plant.

-Another challenge is how to deliver the electricity from the wind farm to the place it's powering. For example, a wind farm in Utah can supply power to LA, so it must find a place to plug into the grid. There's a strong movement to overhaul the nation's aging transmission system and rebuild it - just as the interstate highway system was created decades ago.

-The "not in my backyard" mentality is still rampant, as well. That's seems to be an obstacle for off shore wind farms, which may have to be installed 35-50 miles from the coast so beachgoers don't see them. This attitude is fizzing out as people realize that the wind farms can be an aesthetic asset to their region. We also heard a lot of people call wind farms "wind parks." I'm not sure where that term originated, but it sounds a little more poetic than wind farm, so maybe it's helping shape public opinion that wind turbines can be as beautiful as gardens or mountains, only a whole lot more powerful.

On the last day of the show, we spent the entire afternoon and evening walking around Chicago, finally visiting all of the landmarks we had seen over the previous days. Nick and his father lived in Chicago for three years in the early 1980's, so he felt a special connection with the city. (Photo below: The Chicago River, across the street from our hotel.)

We walked from the Navy Pier, which featured a ferris wheel and a children's museum (mental note: come back next year with our kids), along Lake Michigan and through Grant Park, the setting of so much recent history - and hope for the future: the city was dotted with flying Olympic banners campaigning to get Chicago chosen as the site of the summer Olympics in 2016. (Photo below: Children's museum and Olympic garden at the Navy Pier.)

The city itself was clean, and with many parks and bike trails, perfect for people who love the outdoors. We walked by the new modern wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, and stopped to admire some outdoor sculptures.

Later a full moon rose, illuminating the city. We were content to be in such an inspiring place, literally and metaphorically. We felt like we were standing on the threshold of new possibilities, for our company, for our country, for renewable energy.

Looking back, the week turned was a series of teaching moments, and by the time our plane landed in Philadelphia we had a more complete picture of the wind industry -and plans to come back to Chicago sometime in the next year for more sight-seeing.

For more information, please contact Courtney Polidori at courtney@connectorproducts.com.

Connector Products Inc. to Feature Green Connectors at WINDPOWER 2009

As an outdoorsman, Connector Products' Vice-President Nick Polidori has always respected the environment. It’s no surprise he leads a company that manufactures some of the most environmentally-responsible products for the utility industry available today. Connector Products Inc. (CPI) will introduce the company’s full line of green connectors to the wind energy industry on May 4, 2009 at the WINDPOWER Expo in Chicago.

“Our connectors were green since our company founder invented them 40 years ago,” explains Nick. “They don’t require any special tooling to install, they’re reusable, and each can accommodate a range of wire sizes.” They’re also high-performance and low-resistance, preventing the loss of energy during current transfer.

Since 1978, (CPI) has specialized in wedge style bolted connectors for power utilities and mass transit, but the company recently recognized the potential of the emerging wind market. Nick explains how connectors fit into the wind industry: “Connectors link generating stations such as wind farms to substations—and then to the power lines that deliver electricity to homes and businesses,” he says. CPI manufactures:

· Tap connectors
· OPGW dead-ends
· Ground grids
· Autosplices
· Pad tap connectors
· Hot line taps
· Stirrups

Connector Products has a dynamic way of doing business. The company partners with engineers and operations professionals in the field to develop new products. Nick says his team is looking forward to establishing new business relationships through AWEA and working in cooperation with these companies to develop new products for transmission and other areas that are vital for connecting communities with clean, green power.

Connector Products Inc.’s full line of connectors for transmission, distribution, and substation applications will be on display at WINDPOWER 2009 in Chicago from May 4-7 at Booth# 2383.
For more information, visit http://www.connectorproducts.com/ and click on the Environmental Commitment logo.

Progress Energy's Linemen's Rodeo in New Hill, North Carolina

Every year, Progress Energy hosts a series of Linemen's Rodeos, in which linemen compete in a series of challenges to determine the safest, fastest, and strongest men in the power utility industry. Since Progress is one of Connector Products' most important accounts, Nick, Kai and I decided to attend the Carolinas regional competition held on April 17 & 18. We met up with our North Carolina sales rep, Jack O'Connor of Utility Lines, and several guys Nick has worked closely with in the past few years, including Matthew Prince from Progress Energy and his colleagues.

The weather was fantastic, and our four-year-old son Kai was thrilled to be able to participate in the action himself with a mini-pole climb. He spent most of the day enjoying the moonbounce, giant inflatable slide, and free ice cream. While we were there we fell in love with the people, scenery, and slower pace of life of the lovely state of North Carolina.