NECA, IBEW Tap into the Power of Trash – Now on ElectricTV.net
BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Landfills were once viewed as ecological blights. But today across the country, NECA contractors and IBEW electricians are helping to turn trash into clean, renewable energy, through a process that captures methane gas and converts it to electricity. That story and more are among the features on the latest edition of ElectricTV.net. A joint production of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), ElectricTV.net is the only web TV program dedicated to reporting the latest developments in the electrical construction and information systems industries.
Landfill methane results when organic matter beneath the surface is consumed by bacteria that releases the gas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), if not trapped, the rising methane becomes a greenhouse gas at least 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – and accounts for 25 percent of all methane associated with human behavior.
In the conversion process, pipes running throughout the landfill vacuum up the gases and feed them into huge combustion engines that turn a generator. The resulting electricity is then transmitted to homes and offices via the electrical grid. Says Phillip Yandow, project manager for NECA contractor O’Connell Electric, “We’re taking a resource that is untapped and using it not only to generate electricity but generate jobs, all while protecting the environment. It’s definitely a win-win situation.”
Also on this edition of ElectricTV.net are a segment on a new learning program that’s bringing an online dimension to electrical worker training; a feature on how the movement toward creating a “smart grid” is maximizing efficiency in electrical transmission; a segment detailing how building owners and managers are boosting operations and lowering costs through computer-based automation; and a spotlight on how the new “green” New York Times headquarters is applying the power of light management to reduce electrical usage by 70 percent.
To view, visit www.electrictv.net/methanegas.aspx.
ABOUT NECA AND IBEW
Through their joint marketing organization – the National Labor-Management Cooperation Committee (NLMCC) of the organized electrical construction industry – NECA and IBEW together work to:
- Reach customers with accurate information about the industry; and
- Achieve better internal communication between labor and management.
NECA has provided over a century of service to the $130 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities across the United States. NECA’s national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development.
With 725,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields – including construction, utilities, telecommunications and manufacturing – IBEW is among the largest member unions in the AFL-CIO. IBEW was founded in 1891.
For more information, visit http://www.thequalityconnection.org.
SOURCE National Labor-Management Cooperation Committee