wiredInUSA February 2019

Taking power to the people

Composite rebar

The University of Southern Queensland recently partnered with Composites Australia to provide Australian civil and composite engineers with a workshop on the use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) compositematerials toaddress theproblem of corrosion in concrete infrastructure. Engineers from some of Australia’s major engineering consultant and construction companies were among the 40 delegates representing over 20 organizations and five states who attended the workshop in Brisbane. The use of FRP bars is gaining interest and acceptance as internal reinforcement to concrete structures, particularly in highly aggressive environments where corrosion of steel reinforcing bar is a major problem. The workshop covered recent developments and field applications; specifications and design codes; and design considerations and principles, supplemented with many practical examples and fundamental theories of concrete member behavior. Professor Brahim Benmokrane from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, who delivered the workshop, explained that corrosion resistance was the main motive and attraction for the choice of FRP over steel bars in public infrastructure.

Photo by amer mohamed on Unsplash

JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd has announced its partnership with Schneider Electric to donate a 55kW off-grid solar project in Abu Redis, South Sinai, Egypt. The project will serve a remote village called Abu Ghuraqd, which comprises 35 families, a mosque, a school, a small medical center and three farms. The total connected power load includes 15kW residential load and two 25kW irrigation pumps. Before the project, the only electricity source for the village was three 30kW diesel generators that supplied electricity for only eight hours each day. The completed off-grid solar power system covers power load for the village for 20 hours per day, significantly improving the life quality of the residents. Reduced operation time of diesel generators is also helpful for health and environment protection. “We’re pleased to form a strong partnership with Schneider Electric to deliver this meaningful project. At JinkoSolar, we believe that access to energy is a fundamental human right, and this project is directly in line with that,” said Dany Qian, VP of JinkoSolar.

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wiredInUSA - February 2019