“When buying and selling are controlled by legislation,
the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”
— P.J. O’Rourke
“Federal Power Act” | June 10, 1920, Chapter 285 of the 66th Congress]
Our interest lies in closing a technical gap that exists upstream from the building service point and downstream from the utility supply point. Some, not all of it, can be accomplished with titles in the IEEE catalog.
Given the dominance of vertical incumbents in the electric power domain, we will submit a tranche of reliability concepts into the ASHRAE, NFPA and ICC catalogs — not so much with the expectation that they will be gratefully received — but that our proposals will unleash competitive energies among developers of voluntary consensus standards.
Commissioner-Led Reliability Technical Conference Agenda: October 16, 2024, 10:00 AM
Nothing happened in August
Technical Conference RE: Large Loads Co-Located at Generating Facilities: November 1, 10AM EDT
Echo Chamber Synonyms: mutual admiration society, self congratulatory club,
back patting session, congratulatory loop, closed loop of praise, reciprocal praise fest,
feedback bubble, endless validation cycle, compliment carousel.
Transmission Planning Using a Reliability Criterion
In power system engineering, availability and reliability are two important concepts, but they refer to different aspects of the system’s performance.
Reliability:
Reliability focuses on the likelihood of failure and the ability of the system to sustain operations over time, while availability concerns the actual uptime and downtime of the system, reflecting its readiness to deliver power when required. Both concepts are crucial for assessing and improving the performance of power systems, but they address different aspects of system behavior.
November 2023 Highlights | FERC insight | Volume 10
Determining System and Subsystem Availability Requirements: Resource Planning and Evaluation
Comment: These 1-hour sessions tend to be administrative in substance, meeting the minimum requirements of the Sunshine Act. This meeting was no exception. Access to the substance of the docket is linked here.
Noteworthy: Research into the natural gas supply following Winter Storm Elliot.
UPDATED POLICIES ON U.S. DECARBONIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONS
June 15:FERC Finalizes Plans to Boost Grid Reliability in Extreme Weather Conditions
On Monday June 13th, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission commissioners informed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that the “environmental justice” agenda prohibits reliable dispatchable electric power needed for national power security. One megawatt of natural gas generation does not equal one megawatt of renewable generation. The minority party on the committee — the oldest standing legislative committee in the House of Representatives (established 1795) — appears indifferent to the reliability consequences of its policy.
Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission
“Our nation’s continued energy transition requires the efficient development of new transmission infrastructure. Federal and state regulators must address numerous transmission-related issues, including how to plan and pay for new transmission infrastructure and how to navigate shared federal-state regulatory authority and processes. As a result, the time is ripe for greater federal-state coordination and cooperation.”
Bibliography:
Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978
Glossary of Terms Used in NERC Reliability Standards
The Major Questions Doctrine and Transmission Planning Reform
As utilities spend billions on transmission, support builds for independent monitoring
States press FERC for independent monitors on transmission planning, spending as Southern Co. balks
Related:
At the July 20th meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Tristan Kessler explained the technical basis for a Draft Final Rule for Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements, On August 16th the Commission posted a video reflecting changes in national energy policy since August 14, 2003; the largest blackout in American history.
“If You Can Measure It, You Can Improve It” (Lord Kelvin)
Critical Operations Power Systems
Operational Resilience of Hospital Journal Article Published Inaugural Issue
Consuting-Specifying Engineer | Risk Assessments for Critical Operations Power Systems
Electrical Construction & Maintenance | Critical Operations Power Systems
Facilities Manager | Critical Operations Power Systems: The Generator in Your Backyard
National Electrical Code: Article 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations (Section 110.5 was revised to include aluminum wiring which can cut the cost of running large chunks of campus power by 2/3rds and increase campus power reliability by cutting the cost of backup feeders)
IEEE-TV Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee
Dogs have been bred for a variety of purposes throughout history, including as working animals to support agriculture. Dogs have been bred for specific traits that make them well-suited to work on farms, such as intelligence, obedience, strength, and endurance*.
University of Oxford Estates Services
* Here are a few examples of how dogs were bred to support agriculture:
Herding dogs: Dogs such as the Border Collie, Australian Cattle Dog, and German Shepherd were bred to help farmers manage livestock by herding them from one place to another. These dogs have a natural instinct to gather and control herds of animals, and they can be trained to respond to a farmer’s commands.
Hunting dogs: Many breeds of dogs, such as the Labrador Retriever, were originally bred as hunting dogs to assist farmers with hunting game for food. These dogs have a keen sense of smell and are skilled at tracking and retrieving prey.
Guard dogs: Certain breeds of dogs, such as the Great Pyrenees, were bred to protect livestock from predators such as wolves and bears. These dogs are fiercely protective of their flock and will guard them from any perceived threat.
Draft dogs: Some large breeds of dogs, such as the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Saint Bernard, were bred to pull carts and wagons on farms. These dogs are strong and muscular and can move heavy loads across long distances.
Overall, dogs have been bred for centuries to support agriculture in a variety of ways. Their intelligence, loyalty, and hardworking nature have made them invaluable assets to farmers and have helped to shape the course of human history.
“Python is the programming equivalent
of a Swiss Army Knife.”
— Some guy
Open source standards development is characterized by very open exchange, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency and meritocracy. The Python programming language is a high-level, interpreted language that is widely used for general-purpose programming. Python is known for its readability, simplicity, and ease of use, making it a popular choice for beginners and experienced developers alike. Python has a large and active community of developers, which has led to the creation of a vast ecosystem of libraries, frameworks, and tools that can be used for a wide range of applications. These include web development, scientific computing, data analysis, machine learning, and more.
Another important aspect of Python is its versatility. It can be used on a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even mobile devices. Python is also compatible with many other programming languages and can be integrated with other tools and technologies, making it a powerful tool for software development. Overall, the simplicity, readability, versatility, and large community support of Python make it a valuable programming language to learn for anyone interested in software development including building automation.
As open source software, anyone may suggest an improvement to Python(3.X) starting at the link below:
Python can be used to control building automation systems. Building automation systems are typically used to control various systems within a building, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security, and more. Python can be used to control these systems by interacting with the control systems through the building’s network or other interfaces.
There are several Python libraries available that can be used for building automation, including PyVISA, which is used to communicate with instrumentation and control systems, and PyModbus, which is used to communicate with Modbus devices commonly used in building automation systems. Python can also be used to develop custom applications and scripts to automate building systems, such as scheduling temperature setpoints, turning on and off lights, and adjusting ventilation systems based on occupancy or other variables. Overall, Python’s flexibility and versatility make it well-suited for use in building automation systems.
“The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians,
but a school for the education of imperfect ones.”
— Henry Ward Beecher
WEBCAST Committee Action Hearings, Group A #2
2024 International Building Code: Chapter 3 Occupancy Classification and Use
In the International Code Council catalog of best practice literature we find the first principles for safety in places of worship tracking in the following sections of the International Building Code (IBC):
“303.1.4: Accessory religious educational rooms and religious auditoriums with occupant loads less than 100 per room or space are not considered separate occupancies.” This informs how fire protection systems are designed.
Section 305 Educational Group E
“305.2.1: Rooms and spaces within places of worship proving such day care during religious functions shall be classified as part of the primary occupancy.” This group includes building and structures or portions thereof occupied by more than five children older than 2-1/2 years of age who receive educational, supervision or personal care services for fewer than 24 hours per day.
Section 308 Institutional Group I
“308.5.2: Rooms and spaces within places of religious worship providing [Group I-4 Day Care Facilities] during religious functions shall be classified as part of the primary occupancy. When [Group I-4 Day Care Facilities] includes buildings and structures occupied by more than five persons of any age who receive custodial care for fewer than 24 hours per day by persons other than parents or guardians, relatives by blood, marriage or adoption, and in a place other than the home of the person cared for.
Tricky stuff — and we haven’t even included conditions under which university-affiliated places of worship may expected to be used as community storm shelters.
2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
Public response to Committee Actions taken in Orlando in April will be received until July 8th.
Because standard development tends to be a backward-looking domain it is enlightening to understand the concepts in play in previous editions. The complete monograph of proposals for new building safety concepts for places of worship for the current revision cycle is linked below:
2021/2022 Code Development: Group B
A simple search on the word “worship” will reveal what ideas are in play. With the Group B Public Comment Hearings now complete ICC administered committees are now curating the results for the Online Governmental Consensus Vote milestone in the ICC process that was completed December 6th. Status reports are linked below:
2018/2019 Code Development: Group B
Note that a number of proposals that passed the governmental vote are being challenged by a number of stakeholders in a follow-on appeals process:
A quick review of the appeals statements reveals some concern over process, administration and technical matters but none of them directly affect how leading practice for places of worship is asserted.
We are happy to get down in the weeds with facility professionals on other technical issues regarding other occupancy classes that are present in educational communities. See our CALENDAR for next Construction (Ædificare) colloquium open to everyone.
Issue: [17-353]
Category: Chapels
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel
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Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt. pic.twitter.com/H6dgJ5DnSC
— Prof. Feynman (@ProfFeynman) October 8, 2023
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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