wiredinUSA January 2013

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wiredInUSA - January 2013 wiredInUSA - January 2013 186 17
On 7th December, thewebsiteCopper
Investing News reported that copper
prices had dipped, due to concern
that US lawmakers will be unable to
agree a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff –
spending cuts and tax increases that
are set to automatically come into
effect in 2013.
Copper had been boosted earlier
in December by hopes that a deal
could be reached, and by signs that
demand for copper is improving in
China, the world’s largest consumer
of the metal.
ThomasKeller,CEOofChile’sCodelco,
the world’s largest copper producer,
said that China’s commitment to
urbanization and industrialization
should give the copper market a
“healthy boost” in the coming years.
Keller also said that even if China’s
economy only grows by a single digit,
“there’s still a lot of tonnage adding
to the demand globally.”
The Alberta Utilities Commission
(AUC) has approved a $1.5 billion high
voltage power line project through
the Edmonton–Calgary corridor. The
500kV direct current Western Alberta
Transmission Line will be built by
Canadian transmission firm AltaLink.
Over 60 percent of the route parallels
existing power lines to minimize the
visual and environmental impact of
the project. AltaLink CEO Scott Thon
commented: "This project is absolutely
100 percent for Albertans and it is
about reliability in our system and
making our generation sector more
competitive."
The AUC, a quasi-judicial agency of
the province of Alberta, regulates
the utilities sector, natural gas and
electricity markets.
Power line through
Alberta
Copper slides
on fiscal cliff
Verizon Communications Inc is
replacing copper wire damaged by
Hurricane (later Superstorm) Sandy
with fiber optic cable, a move that
will allow the company to sell more
services to its customers.
The accelerated installation of fiber
cable in stormdamaged areas lowers
the maintenance costs for the company
while providing an almost instant
increase in revenue from customers,
Verizon chief executive Lowell
McAdam revealed at a UBS
conference in New York.
As a result, the company expects
to exceed its target of 200,000
customers converted to fiber from
copper in 2012 with conversion being
"substantially more" in 2013, Mr Mc-
Adam said. Verizon is aiming to
transfer as many services as possible
away from the older, slower copper
lines and onto its faster FiOS network.
Hurricane Sandy
prompts upgrade
An international team of engineers,
physicists, and chemists has created
a fiber optic solar cell. The cells are
thinner than human hair yet produce
electricity, and theUSmilitary is already
interested in the possibility of weaving
the threads into clothing that could
provide a wearable power source for
soldiers.
The optical fibers are made from glass.
Using high-pressure chemical vapor
deposition, n-, i-, and p-type silicon is
injected into the fiber, turning it into
a solar cell. These silicon injected
fiber optic threads are identical to
conventional solar cells, and generate
electricity using the photovoltaic
effect. Unlike other solar cells,
these fiber optic solar cells have a
3D cross-section and retain the glass
fiber’s intrinsic flexibility.
Fiber
meets solar