IEN: What are the major power quality and availability problems facing industry? Their solutions?
McCurdy: Power quality issues generally include transient activity, voltage sags and dropout, and noise/harmonics. Solutions include transient protection, battery backup, and filtering.
IEN: What innovations are in store for industrial users of power equipment, systems, components, software, and services?
McCurdy: As microprocessor control and electronics are driving innovation in today''s manufacturing facilities, the sensitivity of equipment to power disturbances has defined the need for power quality solutions. Users need to better understand the negative influences faced in their specific environment and take responsibility for requiring equipment provided with appropriate protection, such as filtered AC power supplies, surge protected loads, and appropriate backup power techniques.