Strong, Smart, Sustainable: Modernizing the Grid

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FEATURED VIDEOS

Video

The Road to Recovery: Vital Impacts of the Infrastructure Package

BenchMark

Sustaining and boosting growth in the U.S. means implementing clean, smart, efficient infrastructure that keeps people and industry moving. That's just what this new infrastructure law will do, and transportation is at the heart of such significant investment and change.

Video

Investing in an Energized Future

BenchMark

The electrical transmission and distribution industry is experiencing massive change. The need to improve our current power system is a critical component driving that evolution — and it’s requiring electric utilities to act.

Article

The Clean Path Forward: What It Will Take to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy

Burns & McDonnell

As the overall demand for energy increases around the globe, so does the need to generate energy from renewable sources. Solar, wind and hydropower — combined with nuclear and other low-carbon sources of power generation — will continue to evolve, stabilizing energy costs, creating job opportunities, improving air quality and helping to meet decarbonization goals.

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"With our technological advancements, there are too many pathways in and out of systems to guard effectively. If you assume your system is already compromised, then the job is not how to keep bad actors out but how to eliminate catastrophic failure. It’s not an issue of security; it’s about resilience and maintaining operations even after an attack."

Victor Atkins

Director | Cybersecurity

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ALL STORIES

Spotlight

Power Play: Accelerating Delivery of a Data Center Facility

Burns & McDonnell

With server operations set to demand immense quantities of energy, the new Temple Data Center drew upon the efficiency of an integrated project approach to speed into the market in Texas.

TechBrief

Going Below Zero on the Path to a Lower-Carbon World

Burns & McDonnell

Among the many pathways being pursued for global decarbonization, one technology seeks to mimic the very thing forests and other vegetated areas do naturally — remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the air.

Feature

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Capturing Critical Data With Flying Technology

BenchMark

Flying technology offers virtually every industry far-reaching advantages with the ability to quickly capture much-needed critical data and aerial imagery. Unmanned aerial systems are evolving the approach to everything from storm resiliency to manufacturing to navigating challenging geographic regions.

Video

Elevating Expectations

BenchMark

To transform the flying experience for passengers, the designs for airport terminals and other aviation facilities must include innovations that are sustainable and resilient. Strategies to meet demand must push aviation infrastructure to the next level, Manny Incorvaia says.

Feature

Going Above and Beyond to Bring Essential Resources Into Space

BenchMark

If humanity’s future lies among the stars, we’re going to need to bring resources with us.

Feature

Mainstream Space Travel Is Looking Up

BenchMark

As commercial spaceflight becomes more prevalent and less expensive, significant strides are being made regarding social, business and environmental impacts. That being said, there’s quite a bit on the horizon for privatized space travel and deep space exploration.

Feature

Balancing People and Project Impacts Through Environmental Justice

BenchMark

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Executive Order 14008 have elevated environmental justice concerns in government and public consciousness. Integrating this approach into infrastructure projects can be confusing due to a lack of clear regulatory guidelines. By developing plans that adhere to EPA’s standard of “fair treatment and meaningful involvement,” project administrators can satisfy regulators while addressing the concerns of residents.

Video

Investing in an Energized Future

BenchMark

The electrical transmission and distribution industry is experiencing massive change. The need to improve our current power system is a critical component driving that evolution — and it’s requiring electric utilities to act.

Feature

Supporting Emerging Clean Energy Technologies Through Thoughtful Partnerships

BenchMark

A more sustainable energy future is achievable, but the path to get there requires investment in and promotion of emerging technologies that will help transform the global economy.

Video

Charging Forward With Clean Energy

BenchMark

Achieving clean energy goals is rapidly becoming a cost of doing business. Learn how industrial facilities can respond to these mounting pressures and develop a road map to implement sustainable solutions.

Feature

The Grant Proposal: A Story Worth Millions of Dollars

BenchMark

Securing grant funding can be a laborious task, but applicants can use this opportunity to collaborate with local leaders, build relationships with funding agencies and envision their ideal project.

Trending Topic

Refining Your Renewable Fuels Approach for Success

BenchMark

Producing renewable fuels is a potentially rewarding opportunity for refiners to enhance their services for profitable and lasting portfolios. From feedstock and technology selection to project delivery methods and complementary projects, several considerations can affect the feasibility of such projects.

Feature

Tech Talk: Embracing New Realities

BenchMark

AEC firms want to make client projects successful as they design, engineer, build and maintain the planet’s critical infrastructure. Doing so efficiently requires determining just what roles technology can play as we stand on the threshold of a worldwide digital transformation.

TechBrief

Dividing Wall Columns Push the Boundaries for Midstream Efficiency

BenchMark

Sometimes innovative ideas take extraordinary amounts of time to germinate. Such is the case with dividing wall columns — an innovation that is introducing unprecedented cost efficiency, energy savings and emissions reductions to the natural gas liquids processing industry.

Feature

What’s New in Nuclear? Advancing Safety and Affordability

BenchMark

There is a broad menu of options available to begin bringing down carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions on a global scale. While many agree nuclear energy will (or should) be part of the solution, just how it is developed and deployed elicits a wide range of opinions. From cost and safety considerations to waste disposal, the issues that have dogged the nuclear industry for decades are still very much in play.

Spotlight

We Like IKE: Modernizing Kansas Transportation

BenchMark

From big cities to small farm towns, everyone needs and deserves safe transportation infrastructure. The IKE Transportation Partners joint venture is advancing the delivery of various projects in support of KDOT’s 10-year modernization program.

Video

The Road to Recovery: Vital Impacts of the Infrastructure Package

BenchMark

Sustaining and boosting growth in the U.S. means implementing clean, smart, efficient infrastructure that keeps people and industry moving. That's just what this new infrastructure law will do, and transportation is at the heart of such significant investment and change.

Article

Accelerating on the Road to Electrification

Burns & McDonnell

The movement to reduce carbon emissions is giving a speed boost to efforts to electrify transportation. Building the appropriate electrical infrastructure to support this dramatic transition will depend on understanding the reality of new operational models.

Article

Make It Happen: How to Secure Federal Funding

Burns & McDonnell

For decades, business leaders, engineers, economists and community leaders have advocated for more infrastructure spending. Deteriorating infrastructure is deleterious to public health and economic prosperity. In fact, the American Society for Civil Engineers gave the U.S. a “C-” in its 2021 report card for America’s infrastructure. While that score is an improvement from grades spanning the past two decades, it also highlights the need to reinvest in our physical assets.

Article

Limiting PFAS: Pursuing Clean Drinking Water for Safer Communities

Burns & McDonnell

At the heart of the drinking water industry is the need to deliver safe, clean and reliable drinking water to communities. Consumers should not have to think twice about what’s coming out of their tap. For some, however, the reality is unsettling.

Article

Scoping Out Solutions for Supply Chain and Labor Challenges

Burns & McDonnell

Sometimes challenges contain the seeds of their own solutions. Bogged-down supply chains and persistent shortages of skilled labor are familiar complications throughout many industries, but efforts to address them are also driving more efficiencies in project planning and execution.

Article

Highlighting Hydrogen for the Future of Decarbonization

Burns & McDonnell

Taking steps toward reducing carbon footprints and increasing sustainability requires careful planning, integration and innovative solutions using state-of-the-art technologies. As organizations look to diversify their energy portfolios, a clear objective endures: delivering reliable, affordable energy.

Article

Solid as a Rock: Streamlined Permitting Efforts Are Crucial for Carbon Storage Success

Burns & McDonnell

Carbon capture, utilization and storage show strong potential to help reduce carbon emissions globally. Successful deployment of one of the newest tools in the net zero emissions toolbox — carbon capture and storage — will depend on understanding a complex permitting process and aligning efforts to speed approvals.

Article

The Clean Path Forward: What It Will Take to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy

Burns & McDonnell

As the overall demand for energy increases around the globe, so does the need to generate energy from renewable sources. Solar, wind and hydropower — combined with nuclear and other low-carbon sources of power generation — will continue to evolve, stabilizing energy costs, creating job opportunities, improving air quality and helping to meet decarbonization goals.

Article

Renewables’ Ripple Effect on the Grid

Burns & McDonnell

Managing a massive influx of widely distributed decarbonized energy sources, large and small, will involve rethinking — and reworking — much of our electrical infrastructure.

Feature

Bringing Sustainability On-Site

Burns & McDonnell

The quest for sustainable solutions is changing design and construction norms emerging throughout the EPC process. But how sustainable engineer-procure-construct (EPC) manifests itself on any given project can vary widely, depending on the owner’s interests, budget and goals.

Article

An Electric Journey: The Transmission and Distribution of Renewable Energy

Burns & McDonnell

Renewable power is transforming the energy landscape, but the journey from energy generation to consumption doesn’t stop once solar panels and wind turbines are installed. These renewable energy technologies must be connected to transmission and distribution systems, and utilities need backup storage to provide reliable and consistent power.

Article

Raising a Field of Solar Panels

Burns & McDonnell

Utilities can leverage a fully integrated EPC approach and community engagement efforts to foster a safe and reliable transition toward renewable energy.

Article

Boldly Pursuing Energy Opportunities With Offshore Wind

Burns & McDonnell

Flying out over the ocean, you might catch a glimpse of a renewable energy solution that is poised to turn the power industry on its head, create thousands of jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Offshore wind farms — turbines generating energy taken from the force of the wind out at sea — can be found along coasts around the world.

Article

Cyber Resilience Spurs Reassurance for Renewables

1898 & Co.

The fast transition to renewables is leaving energy providers vulnerable to cyberattacks. Learn how the industry is responding and doing what it can to shore up grid reliability.

Article

Strong Currents: Lithium-Ion Dominance Is Making Life Difficult for Other Energy Storage Technologies

Burns & McDonnell

Until recently, utilities may have had difficulty imagining a day when massive installations of batteries would be the main energy storage resource needed for grid stability. It’s not so difficult anymore.

TECHBRIEF

Greener Skies Could Be on the Horizon

Burns & McDonnell

As airlines explore approaches to decarbonize the aviation industry, sustainable aviation fuel has emerged as a leading sky-friendly solution.

Q&A

Dominating Digital Disruptions

BenchMark

Chris Underwood shares how 1898 & Co. leverages Burns & McDonnell experience and knowledge to build strategic, data-driven insights to help clients succeed.

Video

Asset Management: A Framework for Maximized Value

BenchMark

A proactive, structured asset management program helps companies align operations with strategic goals, moving toward prescriptive asset health management.

TechBrief

Finding the Right Fit

BenchMark

Innovations in bottom ash conversion provide coal-fired power plants with options to achieve compliance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Spotlight

Automated for Efficiency

BenchMark

Two reciprocating engine plants in Michigan are among the most automated in the industry. They're adding needed grid stability for the owner/operator.

Feature

Islands in a Storm

BenchMark

When disasters create electrical service disruptions, islanding and black start capabilities are important ways to maintain or restore power quickly.

TechBrief

Making Waves With Smart Data

BenchMark

Lake Erie is poised to become the world’s first smart lake, with smart technology and infrastructure utilized to actively monitor water data in real time.

Feature

Building for Biomeds

BenchMark

Genomic-based drugs have implications for pharmaceutical manufacturing. When drug costs are a daily discussion, how should the built environment respond?

Spotlight

Welcome Home: The Community of the Future

BenchMark

The master-planned community of Sterling Ranch in Colorado is a benchmark for what future communities can look like in terms of smart living experiences.

Feature

Breaking Through: Finding Answers to Labor Shortage

BenchMark

The construction industry doesn’t lack projects or face a struggling economy. Firms are looking to clear a persistent hurdle: craft labor shortage.

Feature

Navigating a New Route

BenchMark

Cost and schedule matter, but so do speed to market and team integration. Some try a new approach to project delivery; others find options within a model.

Feature

Safety: An All-Encompassing Force

BenchMark

Safety involves more than just the work on-site. Every decision in the project spectrum — from concept to completion — is founded in safety.

Concept to Completion

Packaging Wrapped in Tech

BenchMark

Collaborative teams and integrated systems allow Advanced Work Packaging to improve project safety, quality and efficiencies, making it a hot topic.

Spotlight

Surging Ahead With Fluid Delivery

BenchMark

A program management approach is helping FirstEnergy enhance service reliability, operating flexibility and security of its large-scale transmission system.

TechBrief

Avoiding Oil Spills

BenchMark

Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plans are required during construction. An effective plan helps prevent spills and keep projects on schedule.

Trending Topic

Tomorrow's Tech and Trends for Construction

BenchMark

Trends, technologies and tools help transform construction in the face of labor shortages, safety, efficiency, productivity and profitability challenges.

Feature

Controlling the Stormwater

BenchMark

Deferred maintenance, rudimentary standards and an increase in significant rain events are overwhelming traditional stormwater systems. Before putting bigger pipes in the ground, consider cost-effective, longer-lasting options: smart retrofits, new technology and green stormwater infrastructure.

Feature

Going to Bat for Conservation

BenchMark

The Chariton Hills Conservation Bank is the first of its kind in the nation to protect the Indiana and northern long-eared bats. In addition, developers can use credits from the bank to compensate for adverse impacts to similar ecosystems nearby.

TechBrief

Plan Ahead to Protect

BenchMark

Higher-order controls make it possible for companies to eliminate arc flash hazards upfront. But to be most effective, arc flash prevention must be considered early, for example, during the design of every terminal and pipeline project.

TechBrief

Turning Waste Into Worth

BenchMark

Adding alternative feedstock sources — such as fats, oils and grease — can allow wastewater facilities to capitalize on the growing opportunity for biogas, but facilities must also consider the risks.

Trending Topic

Mastering Master Planning

BenchMark

The master-planned communities of tomorrow will require reimagining how cities function, how residents interact with the buildings and technology within them, and how they can remain flexible enough to handle emerging challenges.

Feature

Electricity’s New Reality: The Balancing Act

BenchMark

An ongoing revolution in renewable energy sources and distributed generation options is changing the structure of the power delivery system. Grid modernization is a collection of projects and approaches helping that system adapt to new realities.

Spotlight

Constructing a Cleaner Energy Future

BenchMark

Southwest Saskatchewan, Canada, is home to a new 350-megawatt natural gas-fired power facility. Slated for completion in late 2019, the combined-cycle facility will provide more power to a growing demand — as well as cleaner energy for the area.

Spotlight

The Key to Decommissioning Is to Plan

BenchMark

Utilities are weighing if, how and when to retire or demolish the least-efficient coal-fired plants in their fleet. Follow these critical steps when decommissioning an electrical power plant.

Trending Topic

Power Industry: Meet Your Digital Twin

BenchMark

Digital solutions and smart technologies are beginning to disrupt the power industry. More specifically, the digital twin, a near-real-time digital image of an object or process, is helping to optimize business performance.

Concept to Completion

Delivery on Demand: Provided by ASRS

BenchMark

Consumers expect on-demand delivery, and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) make it possible. But successfully implementing a custom ASRS is complex. For distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and e-commerce businesses, working with a full-service provider makes the difference.

Trending Topic

How Blockchain Can Reset Expectations

BenchMark

Decades old but still finding new applications, blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt and transform a wide range of commercial and industrial fields, extending far beyond banking and cryptocurrency.

Spotlight

Raising the Elevation of a Substation

BenchMark

Eversource Energy wanted to set up new electrical substations in a booming area of South Boston but wondered how it could expand in a crowded urban space. Being near the harbor also posed potential problems for maintaining power during a storm or flood. The solution? It went up.

TechBrief

Delivering Safe Drinking Water

BenchMark

Safe drinking water is vital to public health, but many water treatment plants struggle to consistently deliver reliable, high-quality water that meets finished water goals. When it comes to providing safe drinking water, it’s not as simple as using the same cookie-cutter approach.

Feature

Nailing Seamless Program Management

BenchMark

Program management relieves stress and saves time and money while reducing risk when using integrated technology and an industry-specific program manager.

Feature

Sparking Connections

BenchMark

AZCO enhances the construction options for complex heavy industrial facilities and projects. Teams can gain more control of the variables that affect a project.

Feature

Play It Safe On-Site

BenchMark

Tackling safety challenges on-site requires the right people and the right plan. It starts with making construction safety the top priority from the outset.

Article

Groundwater Remedies

For remediation of groundwater, the subsurface produces uncertainty. Environmental sequence stratigraphy (ESS) provides efficient and cost-effective insight.

Article

Avoiding the Dreaded Shutdown

Safety instrumented systems (SIS) balance safety, reliability and cost. Integrating SIS in the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) process improves success.

Spotlight

Creating Waves in Smart Seaport Operations

BenchMark

The Port of Los Angeles now has a renewable-powered, disaster-proof seaport microgrid. The energy-efficient marine terminal also reduces greenhouse gases.

Spotlight

Compounding Compounds: Complying With New PFAS Regulations

BenchMark

Rising concern over emerging contaminants in drinking water across the country has brought more attention to a collection of compounds known as PFAS.

Spotlight

Testing and Monitoring: Optimal Green Infrastructure

BenchMark

To best sustain green infrastructure — and avoid costly maintenance, weed infiltration and poor performance — thorough testing and monitoring are critical.

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