Major advancements in the world of electricity

Our team here at Electric Concepts stays in touch with the latest trends in lighting and electrical design. That’s how we remain the Montgomery and greater Alabama area’s top choice for electrical and lighting solutions. Advancements in electrical technology are coming out faster every day. 

It’s important that our customers stay updated as well. Whether for purposes of safety, or simply for a better experience, understanding what’s new in the field of electricity can help you plan and choose future appliances, gadgets, or even your residence. So let’s take a look at what’s new in the electrical industry. 

Lighting Up The World

From The Light Bulb To LED Lights

It’s only fitting that we start here. We are, after all, consummate professionals in the world of lighting design. 

The biggest news in lighting design is the transition from legacy bulbs to LED lighting. Hold onto your seat, but this is a true story: We have been using, generally, the same bulb design created by Thomas Edison, over 140 years ago. Innovations along the way—most notably fluorescent lights, which are toxic with mercury, burn out fast, and insufficient in larger spaces—haven’t lived up to the hype.

It might be tough to say goodbye to the incandescent light bulb, but it’s necessary. LED lighting is superior in all facets of lighting for reasons such as:

• Requires less energy (which we’ll talk more about below)
• Allows for a wider range of tone and brightness
• Lasts longer
• Low to no maintenance
• Can emit colors across the entire spectrum

There are many additional benefits to LED lighting. For our more nostalgic customers, we understand that it can be difficult to make the switch. Think about it this way: not one customer for whom we have installed LED lighting designs has ever requested a return to their legacy lighting. 

From The Ground To The Sky

The biggest news is parked in many driveways. But electric cars, along with their stock prices, are only the start—and a lack of resources could mean their end. 

Many fans of Tesla justify the stock price by pointing out that it’s more than a car company. In creating the first electric vehicles, Tesla is also on the leading edge of battery technology. Now, companies around the world compete to create the most efficient batteries for their cars—but that’s only the beginning. 

Eventually, we will be using these batteries for many technologies, and not only in your garage. One day, our plans will run on electric batteries as well. The only problem? Current batteries rely on lithium, which is becoming an endangered resource. The race to build the best lithium-free battery is one to watch out for. 

Growing Energy Demands

It may sound painfully obvious, but the world population’s energy demands are increasing by the second. As more countries develop into economic powers, more homes and businesses demand energy. 

Coupled with climate change, we face tremendous challenges. With more people comes a greater demand for power. And with more power output comes more pollution—unless we have anything to say about it. 

Renewable & Alternative Energy

We all know about the initiatives toward clean energy. What many of us don’t realize is just how far we are from a world without pollution. That’s why all news is big news. 

And there certainly has been a bevy of incredible headlines. Take BMI, for example: Building Information Modeling allows contractors to turn their blueprints into a completed virtual version of their project. This isn’t just a pretty program, either. BMI calculates and projects crucial details such as the most efficient and necessary materials, the structure’s lifespan, and even energy consumption. 

We will discuss energy storage below. As subset to energy storage, however, are DERs: Distributed Energy Resources. DERs are smaller-scale energy production and storage units. They can be solar, community-shared, or even battery-operated, allowing everyone from individual residences to larger communities control of their energy usage.  

Energy Storage

Right now, our power grids are constantly humming. It can be a big waste because energy needs fluctuate. And when energy is wasted, so are your hard-earned dollars. 

But there is a solution: Energy storage allows us to better control how much energy is flowing through the grid. Furthermore, energy storage will allow us to rely more on clean energy. We can’t rely solely on current clean energy technology. It simply isn’t advanced enough. But with energy storage, we can save up clean energy for times of greater need. 

Governments are beginning to incentivize power companies to build in energy storage capabilities. This will be one of the greatest electrical innovations in the coming years. 

The Nuclear Bridge

Here at Electric Concepts, we are certainly cheering for cleaner and more efficient energy sources. But we also must be practical. Even with energy storage, clean energy simply cannot carry us until we transform our gas-and-coal-powered world into a fully electric-powered machine. 

That’s where nuclear power comes in. Yes, there have been terrible incidents, from Fukushima all the way back to Chernobyl. But nuclear reactor designs are getting safer by the day. Furthermore, contrary to popular opinion, even with nuclear’s infamous history, it’s still far safer than gas and coal, which cause pollution that degrades quality of life over time. 

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett—two of the world’s greatest business leaders, investors, and innovators—have personally backed new nuclear designs that are safer and more efficient. If there were ever a credible stamp of approval, that isn’t a bad place to start. 

---

Learn More About Electric Concepts’ Lighting Design And Installation Team 

Here at Electric Concepts, we remain Montgomery, AL’s top lighting designers and electricians in large part because we keep up with the latest updates in the electrical field. This knowledge has allowed us to provide customers across Alabama with the best and latest trends in lighting design and general electrical work. Give us a call for any of your lighting and electrical needs, knowing that you can rely on us to provide modern solutions. You can contact our master electricians at any time to get started.