Winter storms brought heavy rain, sleet, and snow to various regions of the northern US. Wind blowing up to 40-50 mph knocked down many power lines and poles. Power outages occurred in multiple areas including Ohio and Pennsylvania where nearly 20 thousand were left without power. 26 thousand people were without power in Connecticut. Businesses were forced to close early and workers were sent home.

Traffic was inhibited severely. Many car accidents occurred unfortunately resulting in several deaths. Police required a reduction in speed limits and bans were issued on parking to allow for snow to be removed. Snowplows blanketed the streets in effort to alleviate travel. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and closed in areas from Washington all the way to North Carolina.

The Midwest was blasted with more snow fall. Sporting teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks were unable to travel due to flight cancellations. Chicago’s O’Hare was forced to delay countless flights and cancelled some as well. Planes also had difficultly landing and taking off in Des Moines, Iowa and Madison, Wisconsin.

In addition, these storms resulted in mudslides which prevented trains in Vancouver and Oregon from operating. Bottom line, storms this winter have caused severe chaos across the country. Do not fall subject to this wrath by fully preparing yourself. Seek proper chains and tires to travel in treacherous conditions. Make sure you have a generator for a back up power supply. Purchase enough food and supplies in case transportation is impossible. Act with caution and enjoy the winter.

CODELCO is the largest copper mining company and they have a new project in northern Chile. This project focuses on the Gaby copper mine, which is very isolated and difficult to reach. CODELCO needed a significant power system in place to develop operations and construct their work site. They were also concerned about approaching deadlines and needed a fast and efficient power supply immediately. Aggreko is one of the most productive temporary/ portable generator companies and has an extensive reputation for their work. CODELCO chose Aggreko to satisfy their power needs because of their excellent history but more importantly because they were able to meet strict deadlines. Aggreko quickly provided a 5 MW system to power operations on the copper site. This temporary power system runs constantly and is maintained by a team of Aggreko engineers. Overall, this collaboration will increase the world’s supply of copper, which means good things for the Chile. Estimates indicate that it will boost Chile’s economy immensely.

HTS- 110 Ltd. and Long Electromagnetics Incorporated are combining efforts to create a compact five megawatt generator. This advancement lowers weight from a traditional five tons all the way down to only 1.5 tons. This increases mobility drastically. At only 1.5 tons, this machine can be airlifted, shipped, or moved in a truck. An increase in mobility, allows this generator to be applicable in more scenarios especially emergency and disaster areas.

This new technology utilizes a four-pole superconducting rotor, air-cooled copper stator, and a BSCCO wire to produce its high output. This BSCCO wire is patented by HTS-110 for its unique ceramic structure which enables superconductivity. The use of superconductive materials in generators is a new advancement with a high potential to increase efficiency. Its five megawatt output is enough electricity to serve about 2500 homes.

In addition to its impressive output, it is up to five times faster than traditional 5MW generators. The same advancements in superconductivity to increase speed and output also largely contribute to its decrease in weight. These parts weigh less than the many more traditional hefty parts required to produce the same output, but at a lower speed.

LEI and HTS-110 are looking to make this machine readily available quickly. Early expectations shoot for 2008. It is intended to be used first by military and NASA; however, versions applicable for businesses and the general public are not far away. Commercial models are already being developed. 

While this generator has a variety of uses, it is excellent for providing high power in emergency situations. Often only smaller generators can be transported to confined disaster areas which are usually blanketed in debris. This is insufficient for many situations. However; now there is an answer. With a variety of transport options and a high power output, this will offer tremendous aid in much needed situations.

References:
“Lightweight generator a world first for emergency power.”
http://www.hts-110.com/news/coverage/lightweight-generator.html