Tag: <span>Technology</span>

Tag: Technology

Solar installations in the U.S. hit 2 million mark

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By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

Solar in the U.S. is on the rise with installations expected to double again by 2023. A new report shows that there are now two million solar installations in the U.S. The two million number was reached only three years after the installations first reached 1 million, a number that took 40 years to reach.

The report and numbers were release by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). The number of installations in the U.S. is expected to double to four million in just four years, reaching that number by 2023. “We believe that the 2020s will be the decade that solar becomes the dominant new form of energy generation,” SEIA CEO Abigail Ross-Hopper said in the statement.

According to Reuters, solar has grown in popularity due to falling prices on the technology, state mandates that require energy companies to source larger amounts of renewable energy and federal tax credits that can be worth up to 30 percent of the cost of the system.

Solar installations in the U.S. can now produce enough electricity to power more than 12 million homes according to the SEIA statement. California was responsible for 51 percent of the first million installations and 43 percent of the second million. Other states that helped to drive the growth include Texas, Rhode Island, Florida, Utah and Maryland, which combined have grown from around 50,000 installations to more than 200,000.

The statement reports that “Looking ahead, Illinois will see cumulative installations increase from 4,000 today to nearly 100,000 by 2024. While California will continue to lead the nation in installations, the remaining top 10 state markets will see faster growth. Nearly 750,000 installations are expected in those markets over the next 5 years, compared to 500,000 installations over the last 5 years.”

“According to our latest forecasts, by 2024 there will be, on average, one solar installation per minute,” said Michelle Davis, senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, in a May 9 statement. “That’s up from one installation every 10 minutes in 2010.”

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Photo credit: SEIA.

Source: RoofersCoffeeShop.

Construction company to use robotics to build renewable energy projects

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By Karen L. Edwards

Built Robotics, a company specializing in making robotic construction equipment, announced that it has partnered with construction firm Mortenson to use their earthmoving robotics on renewable projects like wind farms and solar. These types of projects then to be in remote areas that are far from traditional workforce centers, making labor an even bigger challenge than it already is.

According to Built Robotics, their “robotic equipment is able to shoulder some of the load by assisting with basic, repetitive tasks, freeing up human operators to focus on the more specific, complex and critical activities.”

Eric Sellman, Vice President and General Manager of the Civil Group at Mortenson, said in the announcement, “I see Built Robotics as the next generation of construction technology. Consistent with Mortenson’s history of ingenuity and innovation in construction, we are partnering with Built Robotics as they develop and deploy technology that enables autonomous heavy equipment operation. Mortenson and Built Robotics will work together with this technology on select renewable energy projects within our Wind and Solar groups. Our goal is to embrace the change that is happening in our industry to create value for our customers and opportunities for Mortenson and our team members.”

Sellman told Engineering News Record (ENR) that it’s a long-term agreement for the next few years to continue to expand the company’s deployment of autonomous equipment on renewable energy jobs. The company did its first project with Built Robotics in August of 2018, testing the equipment on wind farms in Kansas. Sellman said that the repetitive nature of some of the foundation work on these projects make them a good fit for autonomous equipment. ENR reported that the “machines us GPS tracking to remain within geo-fenced areas, and LIDAR provides collision avoidance and obstacle detection.”

Mortenson employees are excited to be implementing the technology. Molly Morgan, an equipment operator commented, “I’m excited about the potential for Built’s technology. Our top priority is safety — if the robot can work on steep slopes, or near unstable ground, or in challenging or risky situations, then we one-hundred percent should use it. And I’m excited to learn the new skills I’ll need to work with the technology.”

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Construction robotics market expected to reach $226 million by 2025

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By Karen L. Edwards.

Construction work has traditionally been a very labor-intensive job. Increasing speed and productivity meant adding additional workers. With the labor shortage, it’s not that simple anymore and the industry is being forced to look for alternative methods. One of those is robotics.

A new report released by market intelligence firm Tractica shows that a growing number of construction companies are incorporating robots to solve the challenges of increasing productivity, efficiency and profits without adding workers. The report forecasts that the growing interest in construction robotics will drive an increase in market revenue from $22.7 million in 2018 to $226 million by 2025.

It is forecast that more than 7,000 construction robots will be in use on sites to handle a variety of construction tasks and demolition work. The biggest use is estimated to be for robot assistants on construction sites, followed by infrastructure robots, structure robots and finishing robots.

Tractica Senior Analyst Glenn Sanders says, “At this early stage in the construction robotics industry, a few companies are offering products for sale or lease. The main categories that are currently available include robots for demolition, bricklaying, drilling, 3D printing, and rebar tying, plus a few exoskeletons and assistant robots for lifting loads.”
Sanders adds that midsize and major construction companies are beginning to adopt these robots to solve issues related to labor shortages, safety, speed, accuracy, and integration with building automation and building information modeling (BIM).

According to Construction Dive, in order to maintain high standards of craftsmanship, some companies are taking a ‘cobot’ approach where they use collaborative robots to work with crews instead of taking their place. The collaborative robots take on tasks that are simpler, redundant and repetitive, freeing up employees to focus on more skilled work.

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3D Scans of Notre Dame captured in 2015 could be key to reconstruction

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By Karen L. Edwards, RoofersCoffeeShop.

Construction technology could help architects, contractors and engineers answer questions and shorten the project timeline.

In 2015, the late Andrew Tallon, an art history professor at Vassar College in New York worked with colleagues to complete a 3D scan of Notre Dame Cathedral. The team used a Leica ScanStation C10 laser mounted on a tripod and spent five days mapping the building, recording more than one billion points of data. Tallon combined his scans with high-resolution panoramic photos to add color to the data.

John Russo, president and CEO of Architecural Reource Consultants and president of the U.S. Institute of Building Documentation told Engineering News-Record (ENR) that, “Having laser scans is critical in shortening the reconstruction time frame. If you don’t have that data, where do you go? You are going back to hand drawings that may not exist and those are going to be two-dimensional and not have as much information. As far as answering questions and shortcutting the timeline on doing the repair work, 3D scans are going to shave an incredible amount of time off.”

The 3D image of the cathedral contains all the dimensional information with very precise colors and measurements. Russo told ENR, “The scans are accurate enough to pick up the slight deviations in the structure, important from an engineering standpoint to understanding what the loads are doing through the structure.” According to Tallon, he once said that the scans were accurate to within five millimeters.

The Associated Press reported that French President Emmanuel Macron was calling for Notre Dame to be rebuilt within five years and in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Restoration experts have challenged that saying that it could take three times that long to complete.

While the 3D scan will prove invaluable to the reconstruction, it is still being debated if the restoration will be exactly as it was before the fire. BBC reported that French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe called for “a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and challenges of our era.” An international design contest was launched for the design of a new spire.

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Source: RoofersCoffeeShop.

Most contractors believe technology can help with risk management

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By NRCA.

A new report from Dodge Data & Analytics in partnership with Triax Technologies and the International Risk Management Institute shows about three-quarters of contractors believe technologies such as wearables and sensors can help them prevent occupational risks, including construction defects, general liability and property damage, according to www.constructiondive.com.

Among the 135 contractors surveyed, 80 were general contractors, construction managers or design-builders and 55 were specialty trade contractors.

The Using Technology to Improve Risk Management in Construction study found wearables—which include movement sensors, biometric monitoring devices and augmented reality headsets—were one of the top two emerging technology types that can add value regarding risk management.

One respondent said: “Going forward, it is going to be standard operating procedure that when you show up to work, you get issued your wearable, and go along as you’ve always done, but there’s data being collected that will be used to mitigate those risks.”

The second emerging technology was visual auditing, which involves pairing job-site photos or videos with artificial intelligence to detect deviations or risk sources—sometimes in real time—that a human worker may not notice.

Although nearly 60% of respondents are “highly engaged” with technology to conduct employee training, other areas of risk management lack wider technology adoption; technology use ranges from 44% to 47% for safety documentation, job hazard analysis and worker certifications.

Nearly all respondents said they want to be able to digitally collect and analyze safety and risk data, but more than one-third still do not. Resources appear to be the main barrier, and only 19% of respondents include data analytics as part of their budget.

The report found 90% of contractors do not specifically budget for innovation, which can lead to inconsistency in the way companies handle new technology expenses. Regarding technology, firms are most attracted to ease of use (79%), costs (73%) and the training or support that accompanies the product (51%).

Source: NRCA

Construction industry uses simulations to help recruit young workers

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As the construction industry works to build a younger workforce, it is trying to attract teenagers with realistic computer simulators of heavy machines such as bulldozers, cranes and excavators, according to www.sfgate.com.

As Baby Boomers retire, the construction industry continues to face a labor shortage as construction projects are booming. More than three-quarters of U.S. construction firms said they were having a hard time filling some of or all their positions, according to a survey released in January by the Associated General Contractors of America. Thirty percent said worker shortages were the biggest concern for their firms—by far the most pressing of 16 issues presented.

And the industry is facing another challenge as it tries to fill positions by recruiting younger workers—many are not interested. Many young people have been encouraged to consider college as the only option after high school, and others are wary after the industry was hit hard by the Great Recession. To appeal to the younger generation, some construction companies, unions and schools have turned to simulators that replicate jobs done by heavy equipment, such as pushing dirt or lifting steel.

Simulators are made to offer immersive experiences. Most have real controls in the proper locations to help users develop muscle memory, and the sounds are reproduced accurately.

Trey Henry, a 17-year-old senior at the Academy for Career Education trade school in Reno, Nev., attends a simulator program at the Nevada chapter of Associated General Contractors that serves as training for him and scouting for his instructors, who work for area construction companies. Rather than simply pushing a button, to start an excavator simulator, Henry must turn a key, increase the throttle speed, engage the hydraulic lock and buckle his seat belt.

“I was on the excavator and digging a trench, and I got stuck a little bit, and it jerks you like you’re stuck,” Henry says. “You actually feel the chair moving when you pull the dirt.”

The excavator has three screens and also can be used with a virtual reality headset that produces a 360-degree view. Two pedals operate the tracks, and joysticks move the boom and open the bucket.
Henry has spent about seven hours on the simulators and says his experience has persuaded him to pursue a career working with heavy machinery.

Several students at the Fulton Schools College and Career Academy outside Atlanta said they determined the construction industry was not for them after challenging experiences using a crane simulator, which required precision, depth perception and hand-eye coordination.

“You had to understand people’s lives were in danger,” says Christopher Sparks, 17. “I felt like every time you hit something, it would move in a certain way so you would have to restart every time. It was like a video game on hard.”

Source: NRCA.

Safety is top concern for construction workers regarding automation

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By NRCA.

A recent survey shows construction workers are more concerned about safety—rather than job security—regarding increased automation on job sites, according to www.forconstructionpros.com.

In a recent poll of construction workers conducted on behalf of Volvo Construction Equipment, 46% highlighted the increased risk to job-site safety compared with 31% who were concerned about job security. Other worries included loss of sociability (26%) and not knowing who to blame if something goes wrong (17%). However, experts say automation potentially can reduce job-site hazards.

More than half of respondents (54%) believe autonomous machines and artificial intelligence will help boost productivity, and 48% believe advanced technology will increase the speed of daily construction tasks.

Respondents between ages 25 and 44 are more likely to believe autonomous machinery could benefit areas such as productivity, speed, safety, quality and fuel efficiency compared with those age 44 and older.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) believe machine operators are most at risk of losing their jobs; three in five machine operators believe their job could become completely redundant following the rise in computer technology. Other job roles respondents believe would be at risk are engineers (21%), bricklayers (17%) and construction managers (16%). Only one in five construction workers believe no jobs will be affected at all.

From those who responded as part of the wider survey across all industries, 55% say they would rather lose their jobs to a human than a machine. AI could affect workers’ career choices, with 72% of U.S. respondents agreeing in some capacity they would consider choosing a job that will not be affected by autonomous machinery or AI compared with 45% of UK respondents.

Fifty-eight percent of construction workers are confident AI would not do a better job than them.

Source: NRCA

New construction strategy is to build the roof first and raise it floor by floor

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By Karen L Edwards, RT3.

The technology offers the installation of the roof as soon as possible followed by a lift system featuring modern and safe handling tools.

Building Design + Construction reported that ‘this alternative process for building tall concrete or steel buildings consists of a mobile permanent roof, a roof lifting mechanism, a protective enclosure, and a high-capacity hoist.’

According to information on the company’s website (upbrella.com) the technique allows for the construction of multi-story buildings without cranes and starting with a mobile, permanent roof. The roof can then be raised by a lift system which allows for the creation of a construction area. A carrier is used to transport workers and materials to the construction area.

Next, a protective enclosure made of metal and canvas is installed up to the parapet, sheltering the construction site against adverse weather while the roof lifting mechanism allows for the roof to be moved upward as each story is completed.

In theory, this allows for floors to be built, sold and occupied while construction of additional floors can continue in sync with the sales cycle or pause if needed. The mobile, permanent roof can remain on the building if it has the desired geometry or it can be adapted at the end of the project. See the technology in action in this company video.

Upbrella says that this new technology brings many benefits to the project, including:

  • Eliminating irritants of open construction
  • Reducing business risks associated with pace of sales
  • Lowering insurance costs
  • Taking weather out of the equation with no lost work days
  • Reducing disruption and allowing the occupation during the construction process to optimize occupation rates.

Upbrella Construction is a subsidiary of 3L Innogenie and a certified general contractor for Upbrella Technology. 3L Innogenie is a team of engineering specialists who develop products and technology for the construction industry.

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Wearables can improve worker safety and health

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At this year’s International Roofing Expo, there was plenty to see on the show floor with technology being a key focus. In fact, the Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) presented a contractor panel where they discussed emerging technologies as well as existing ones and how these solutions are making an impact on their businesses.

Discussions focused on how augmented reality will change field service, how robotics and automation both on the roof and in the air will impact the industry, how GPS and other tracking can save thousands and how technology will change the way the industry interacts with home and building owners as well as with insurance companies.

One solution that has a promising outlook for the industry is the use of wearable technology to improve worker safety. The wearable technology can be as simple as a GPS tracker in a safety vest that can send an instant alert when a worker enters a predefined danger area on a job site, such as being within so many feet of the roof perimeter. There are exoskeletons that have been created to assist workers with lifting heavy loads, thus reducing the chances of back injuries or strains.

While visiting Microsoft’s Internet of Things (IOT) lab last fall with RT3, we saw smart helmets that could detect impacts and wearable monitors that could track workers’ vital signs such as heart rate and body temperature – valuable information that can let you know when a worker should stop and take a break.

While all of this data can be lifesaving, contractors implementing the use of these devices should be prepared to ensure that their workers’ privacy and data is protected. The good news is that most companies that are providing a technology solution should have the infrastructure in place to make sure that the data is protected, and privacy remains intact. However, as we have seen time and again, data breaches are not uncommon in this day and age.

RT3 member Trent Cotney of Cotney Construction Law said that contractors using new wearable technologies to keep employees out of harm’s way should revise their employee manuals to provide information on how to properly use the wearable technology. Further, contractors should include in employee manuals that the wearable technology will better assist in keeping employees safe, but that it is not a guarantee and the workers should still exercise caution when performing dangerous activities or working in hazardous areas.

The World Wide Web just celebrated its 30th birthday and we have seen so many changes over those 30 years. We’re excited to see what’s coming next and how worker safety will benefit from new, emerging technologies. Stay up to date on the latest news in the industry when you sign up for the RT3 Smart Brief newsletter.