text:
President of Sustainable Development Fund of Kazakhstan attended a conference in Singapore

(KAZINFORM) - Today in Singapore has taken place a conference on Investment and business potential of Kazakhstan involving the president of Sustainable Development Fund Kazyna Kairat Kelimbetov, Kazakhstan MFAs press service reports.

This business forum was organized by Kazakhstan diplomatic mission along with the Singaporean business federation uniting more than 15 000 of domestics companies, reports Trend.

Kelimbetov has informed of the key achievements of Kazakhstans socio-economic advance, main trends in industrial and innovation policy of the Government and Kazyna activity concept.

Kazakhstan charge daffaires to Singapore Adil Tursunov told about the fundamental provisions of Kazakhstan Presidents Address to the nation as of March 1, 2006 Strategy of Kazakhstans entry into the 50 most competitive states of the world, state and prospects for the extension of bilateral relations.

Those attending were the representatives of large local and trans-national companies, engaged in oil and gas industry, construction, transport, information and communication technologies.

Within the trip Kelimbetov held talks also with the authorities of state investment company Temasek Holding.

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text:
Gold production falls drastically in Iran

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 17

By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:

Production and consumption of gold in Iran over the past five years has dropped to one third, a gold union head said.

Mohammad Keshti-Aray, the head of Tehran’s jewelry, gold and coins union, has said that the nation’s consumption culture and consumers’ attitude towards gold have changed over the recent years, therefore the volume of production and consumption of the precious metal has shrunk in the country, IRNA news agency reported.

According to the official, the ongoing economic recession and value added taxes are among the main reasons for Iranians’ lack of enthusiasm to purchase gold.

In the meantime, the people have become interested in purchasing trinkets which harms the gold market, he added.

He further noted that more than 750 gold shops in Tehran and 3,800 gold shops in other parts of the country have been shut down over the past two years.

Iran produced 1 ton of gold in 2008. This figure doubled by 2009, and reached 2.5 tons in 2012.

Geological surveys have put Iran’s proven gold reserves at 340 tons, with estimates for possible reserves of up to 1,000 tons.

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text:
Royal Bank posts slightly higher profit and lower loan loss provisions

Royal Bank of Canada reported a small rise in quarterly profit that beat analysts’ expectations on Wednesday, driven by strength in its capital markets unit and reduced provisions to cover potential loan-losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada’s largest lender by market capitalization set aside $427 million in the fourth quarter, as economic disruptions from the pandemic raised the possibility of defaults. The amount was far lower than analysts’ expectation of $798.75 million, and down 14 per cent from a year earlier.

Net income from personal and commercial banking — RBC’s biggest source of income — fell 7 per cent to $1.5 billion, largely reflecting the impact of lower interest rates.

The country’s banks have faced margin pressure this year from surging deposits and slower lending growth across retail and business segments.

RBC’s capital markets division, which includes trading, investment banking and advisory, however, saw net income soar 44 per cent to $840 million, helped by increased volatility in markets due to the health crisis.

Overall profit was up

Total net income rose to $3.25 billion ($2.51 billion) for the quarter ended Oct. 31, or $2.23 per share, from $3.21 billion, or $2.19 per share, a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, the bank earned $2.27 per share, higher than analysts’ average estimate of $2.05 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

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text:
19 April 2018

How Hypower has remained a US construction leader through embracing technology

Construction Management
Catherine Sturman
14 min
Hypower Inc

One of southeast USA’s largest specialty contractors, Hypower has completed over a thousand projects valued at over $1bn.

The family business’s humble origins and passion to provide quality services has seen it amass a diverse portfolio, grow to over 600 employees and overcome a number of challenges which many others have failed to overcome.

Hypower houses several divisions, ranging from commercial electrical, new construction, renovation, and service and repair; to outside plant power and communications, telecom engineering, airfield lighting, ground mount solar and prime electrical infrastructure projects nationwide.

Established primarily to undertake infrastructure projects in the early 1990s, the company’s specialty niche in runway lighting and airfield lighting systems, and work at New Denver International Airport Runways put it firmly on the map. Its subsequent growth enabled the company to not only spread out geographically but add a significant number of strings to its bow.

“We added traffic signals, high mast lighting, street lighting. We got into the traffic signal business, which filtered into the intelligent transportation system business. This taught us about fiber optic cables and telecommunications,” explains President and CEO of Hypower Inc, Bernard Paul-Hus.

“In 1996, Congress deregulated the telecommunication industry to open up markets to competition by removing regulatory barriers to entry into the telecommunication marketplace, which led to a tremendous amount of investment from the private sector. This created a huge boom in the installation of fiber, which we jumped into. We moved more into telecom, but never got away from our roots in airports.”

President & CEO
“Sooner or later things will slow down, but we now have enough foresight, vision and data to anticipate these things, and to weave our way through what the world throws at us” - President and CEO of Hypower Inc, Bernard Paul-Hus

Despite the burst of the dot.com bubble, Hypower’s niche markets enabled it to remain afloat without concern, until 9/11.

“9/11 was our first real big challenge because nobody saw that coming,” Paul-Hus explains solemnly. “It wasn't predictable in any kind of economic model, and all of our airfield lighting projects shut down. However, we were fortunate to survive it, and within a year we were back up and running.

“The lesson we learned from that, was that diversity was going to be our path going forward, so we needed to really diversify ourselves into these counter-cyclical niches,” he continues. “The most common thing that gets done by companies like ours is buildings. But even buildings, as we saw in 2008-2012 can pretty much evaporate. When this happens, government-funded and subsidized work stays relatively steady, and if you're good, you're going to continue to win it.

“We ended up with seven divisions, but when the recession hit, we decided to narrow these down into the five groups that we have today.

“We've always been very reactive to the market, trying to stay ahead of what the market's going to do. Right now, all of our divisions are firing on all cylinders, but sooner or later things will slow down. We now have enough foresight, vision and data to anticipate these things, and to weave our way through what the world throws at us.”

Forward planning

By paying significant attention to its tumultuous history, Hypower has applied these lessons towards its future goals. Utilizing predictive analytics, a business intelligence platform, and delivering ongoing training, employees are now able to elevate their abilities within their own specialty niches.

“Our focus needed to be on achieving the highest level of financial acumen at a project management level, and we've been working on that since 2009,” adds Paul-Hus.

“Having project managers that are effectively as good as any accountant at not only the historical, but the predictive part of a project, the forecasting side, has proven to be a huge home run for us. It’s also created the ability to go from micromanaging everybody's decisions, to putting them in this world of ‘If-Then decision making thinking’.

“We believe in autonomous management making decisions. We've created systems and processes that allow staff to make their own decisions based on the data they're being presented with and with the options that are open to them.”

Creating a system where employees are therefore encouraged to look at data on a regular basis and look at their own performance, as well as their team performance, has taken the company to new heights.

“There's a couple of different softwares which we've customized. We’ve now started integrating all those platforms into our proprietary platform, called Hype,” explains Jeff Emerson, Vice President of Electrical Construction.

“This pulls in real-time data, giving project managers and people in the field the systems and information needed to make decisions. It pulls in how much are we spending on material, or how many hours we have spent. What is our production goal? Are we installing as much every day as we need to? What are the open RFIs? It takes all these different systems and integrates them into one.

“We're in the middle of more app development now, that's going to give every single person in the field, no matter what level they are, a daily goal on exactly what they're supposed to achieve,” continues Emerson. “Right now, we do this verbally and with spreadsheets. Now, it will be automated on an iPad or Smartphone that everybody will be able to see first thing in the morning and report on throughout the day.”

Digital disruption

The use of data within construction and design is continuing to reshape traditional practices which have remained relatively unchanged – until recently. For Hypower, it is clear that the company remains keen to take full advantage of embedding new technologies across its operations.

By strengthening its virtual design and construction capabilities (VDC), as well as harnessing building information modelling (BIM) technologies, the company has optimized its processes, reduced the number of mistakes and delivered higher quality projects at competitive prices, leading the business to remain ahead of the curve.

“A lot of technology that's used in modelling software, such as Revit, Navisworks, and AutoCAD are all pretty much industry standard. It's the level of detail that sets us apart. We look for jobs where our customers or clients are going to appreciate the value that this brings,” explains Emerson.

“When we’re 3D modelling and working with the rest of the team, you can view areas of concern, such as whether a conduit clashes with a HVAC duct, for example. We fix all these things before the material is ordered, or a stick of conduit is installed. This provides a lot of predictability, allows the schedule to be maintained, and the owner can look at the model and see what his building is going to look like inside and outside before we even start.

Paul-Hus adds: “It’s the ability to virtualize a project by building it in three dimensions, while working with our fellow specialty trade contractors. We can all see the problems we're going to have ahead of time, so we can fix it in this virtual world, so that when we get out there in the job site, it goes much better.”

With up to 20 dedicated VDC/BIM specialists, all large projects at Hypower utilize these essential processes. Coordinating with various trades is therefore encouraged across all avenues and moves the company towards the purchasing and prefabrication process.

“Instead of ordering what might be typically six parts and have them come out in six boxes in the field, we'll assemble all six of those pieces off-site and ship it out with a clear label that matches our VDC design, where the parts are then to be put it in place. We also use the Trimble Total station, which is our layout equipment,” adds Emerson.

The use of new, digital tools has also overhauled traditional layout processes.

“The team used to get in the field and use a tape measure, a chalk line, flags and drawings to figure out where everything’s supposed to go based on information provided from the contractor,” explains Emerson.

“Now, when we receive information, all our points are laid out in a tablet. One team member can go out with Trimble Total Station, set out the laser, and mark where it all goes. Through this, we’ve reduced layout time by 70%.

“We’re now also at near zero mistakes,” he continues. “In the last seven jobs, we have never missed a layout point, to the point that we're actually helping others who are doing it the old school way. It's therefore bringing value not just to us, but to them as well,” observes Emerson.

“This will become the new norm in how buildings are constructed,” observes Vice President of Purchasing, Barry Olson. “People in their 20s and 30s are coming into the industry with their own ideas and paradigms of how much easier computer modelling makes things, for example.

“We're in a time where we've got a lot of older people that are also saying, ‘we've never done it this way, we've always done it the other way’, and you now have enough new information and people in the industry asking the question, ‘well why can't we do it this way?’

“Whilst there’s a blending of the two, at some point this whole platform of how buildings are put together is going to be the generally accepted practice,” he adds pensively. “I think we're ahead of the curve in what we're planning, because we are looking down the road as to where this will lead.”

Nonetheless, Paul-Hus explains that the technology has presented a number of new challenges, particularly within Hypower’s relationships with clients.

“We can become extraordinarily frustrated at how difficult it is to sell the value of this technology to the end user, which is the owner or the general contractor,” he says.

“If they don't understand the technology, there is no way for us to explain all of the things that would have gone wrong had we not gone through our processes. We have not been able to quantify this in any meaningful way that's believable to our clients and all of the mistakes that we fixed before we got onto the site.

“Us and the other trade contractors, through the virtue of our coordination, which is generally driven by the specialty trade contractors, have fixed so many problems, that when we go out to build the job, these problems will never happen, so the end user can never appreciate the fact that they didn't happen.

“We can measure year over year improvement, but if I tell a client that we've been able to drive 24% of our labor cost out of our jobs year on year on the same number of man-hours, their first question is, ‘why isn't your price lower?’”  The cost trade off of planning for the labor gains yields predictability when done properly which ultimately saves time and the cost savings flow throughout the entire project.

Increased agility

Despite this, Hypower’s embrace of new digital tools continues to influence its positive culture of adaptability and change.

“Five years from now, we expect that the hard hat that workers wear will have a chip in it with a visor that projects on the wall. I will walk into a room, flip down my visor and see all the work that I'm supposed to install that day,” explains Paul-Hus.

“Rather than measure anything or do any layout work, it'll actually be on screen. I will simply need to walk up to where the device that I need to install is, match it up with the shadow box that's on my visor, and screw it to the wall, and I'm done.”

“If you don't have a culture that accepts the use of technology, you are going to be a company that struggles,” he adds. “The only way you do that is by implementing change, measuring performance improvement, rewarding people for following processes, and making sure that they understand this.”

By placing significant emphasis on continuous improvement, Hypower is a strong believer in training and developing its workers, improving ways of working through the use of data, giving context to such data and then proactively reacting to the data received.

“We don't get focused on individual results, we get focused on the overall result,” says Paul-Hus. “We don't want to put too much emphasis on profitability as the rest of our core values could get ignored; people might make decisions to boost profitability that hurts our professionalism, which then prevents us from continuously improving and ends up hurting our relationships.”

See also:

Inspiring others

Not one to rest on its laurels, Hypower expects the best of its staff, and makes a significant effort to give back, not just to its employees but to the local community. Its efforts to drive positive engagement and quality results have seen the company become recognized as Business of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal in 2017.

To reward employees, Hypower seeks to gather all required data and runs a number of events, inviting employees to attend. Presentations are undertaken and the company aims to recognize all staff which are leading the it to success.

Additionally, Hypower’s growth has seen it give back to local communities, both through its charity events, raising over $1mn thus far, as well as recruitment of locals.

Paul-Hus explains: “A young manager we recently recruited was through a charitable organization, Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth (HANDY). This individual was displaced from Haiti because of the earthquake in 2010. He was brought to the United States, where he finished high school, went to Florida Atlantic University and gained a degree in accounting. We brought him in as an intern and now he's a full-fledged employee.”

“Peter Stoykov, our Marketing Director, and I recently gave a presentation to kids on a career path in the construction industry. We go into the community and we say, ‘look, we understand that everybody wants to go to college, but we also understand that not everybody gets to go to college. It could be because you don't have the grades, it could be because you don't have the financial means, it could be for a variety of reasons. It could be because you have a child too young and you just don't have the time to have a job, but none of that means that there aren't career paths to success.’

“We use our company as an example that you can start off in the field as an apprentice electrician and apply into our program or go to school while you're receiving training. After four years in a certified program and a Journeyman prep course, as part of our Workforce Development Plan, you will receive a professional electrician's license.

“At the end of four years, you're making $50,000 per year. Your career path can follow suit. You continue to take our training, supervisory training, go to seminars, whatever it takes to continue your education. Keep climbing the career path to an executive level,” continues Paul-Hus.

“I'm the President and CEO and I don't have a college degree. I'm a really good example to stand and say, having a child at 19 years old, like I did, and not having a college degree doesn't limit your ability to think big, chase your dreams, build a business and be a leader. Do all those things that some people might have you believe you can't do. Don't listen to them and don't get discouraged. There are multiple paths to achieving your goals.”

The path to success

Hypower’s long-term vision to ensure its vendors, customers, employees and shareholders remain happy will see the company continue to grow and deliver exceptional value and quality services, where digital tools will continue to support decision making and guarantee exceptional results.

“Growth is the cornerstone of our success,” reflects Paul-Hus. “Growth means that we can continue to invest in these processes. It means that we can continue to show folks that are just coming into this industry to come to work for us, that there will be an opportunity.

“There is a career path that will not be stymied by running into someone who you can't pass due to attrition. We're growing, we expect workers to learn. The more you learn, the more likely we are to be able to offer you that opportunity that's been generated by our growth. So, growth is super important.

“If, through the use of all of our processes, we continue to drive down what it costs us to do the work versus the market value of doing that work, even when times get tough and we lower our prices, our costs will already be in line with those lower prices,” he adds.

“For now, we're benefiting with higher margins, because we continue to pursue work at a market rate, not at a cost-plus rate. However, when we get into that really tough world of the overall market shrinking, we should be able to maintain or even continue to grow our revenue in that tough economy, simply because we, during the good times, didn't get complacent with our success. We continued to take the products of our success and invested in continuous improvement. When times get tough, we can perform at a lower cost basis than our competitors.”

Paul-Hus concludes: “That's really our goal, to continue to take what the market gives us. Right now, there are more opportunities than we could ever react to.

“But when those opportunities become limited, we will be in an excellent position, with a very well skilled workforce, and with processes that have driven down our cost so that we can remain competitive without losing money even through those tough times.”

President & CEO

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The following long post is an excerpt from my book research project on the life of Abner Doubleday.  This post, along with others in coming days of the Bull Run Battle and aftermath, is from the perspective and writings of Doubleday and those close to him. “Noyes” was a staff officer for Doubleday who wrote very colorfully… he was a lawyer from Maine. I will add that this is a favorite and especially interesting piece of Civil War history and collection of narratives.

Brawner’s Farm – also known as “Groveton” or “Gainesville”

On the 28th, General John Pope was moving his varied commands to the north and east toward Manassas Junction “under the supposition [wrote Doubleday drolly] that Jackson would remain there and give battle.” However, Jackson did not remain in that position, rightly understanding he could well be cut off from connection with Lee. Any movement in any direction other than north would be to advance directly into the face of enemy forces. Jackson therefore moved his command north and west of Manassas Junction, across the battlefield of Bull Run from the year prior, and essentially hid them away in a stretch of woodland behind a rise just to the north of the Warrenton Turnpike called Stony Ridge. The excellence of this position was enhanced by an old railroad cut. The Confederates were packed together tightly (like fish in a barrel, according to one of them), but completely out of sight and knowledge of the Union forces and scouts.

Doubleday’s Brigade, with the departure of the Confederates facing them across the Rappahannock, had been withdrawn to the north through Warrenton. Following the curve of the Warrenton Turnpike to the east, they were ordered to continue in that direction on the same road. Pope had been led by captured prisoners to mistakenly believe the illusive Stonewall Jackson was east of the Bull Run in the area of Centreville. He therefore, on the afternoon of the 28th, ordered King’s Division to continue in movement in that direction along the Warrenton Pike. Noyes wrote of their afternoon meal as a delightful one, with thoughts of battle far from their minds. “Several guests joined our picnic under the trees, the general (speaking of Doubleday) was in his most humorous vein, and we rested here two or three pleasant hours. Certainly no one of us, as we reposed after our lunch, placid and content, dreamed of the tragedy which was to greet us before the sun went down. It was late in the afternoon before we were summoned to the saddle, and the brigade ordered to advance.”

The march along the pike unknowingly brought King’s Division directly across the front of Jackson’s Command, hidden within the wooded slope parallel to the wide road. It was a beautiful summer evening. The division was advancing leisurely along the Warrenton Pike with Hatch’s Brigade in the lead, followed by Gibbon, Doubleday, and Patrick respectively. Far from the minds of these soldiers was any anticipation of pending action with a sizeable body of the enemy—who was said to be miles away. Jackson was enjoying one of his impromptu naps when awakened by word from scouts of a significant body of infantry moving along the turnpike below. He mounted his horse and went to examine the situation personally. In an open area at the crest of the hill to the north of King’s Division, Jackson himself was seen by the Federals. Doubleday wrote: “As I stopped for a moment to converse with General Patrick, I saw a large man on horseback suddenly appear on a hill about 200 yards off to the north of the turnpike. I made a remark that he must be a Rebel officer, but I was assured that the ground in front of us had been scouted half an hour before and that no Rebels were there at that time . . . [It] was Stonewall Jackson himself, who suddenly turned around and made a motion to some in the rear. A section of Rebel artillery immediately galloped up, unlimbered and opened fire upon us.”

The Brawner farmhouse and orchard sat about one-quarter mile to the north of the pike. The slope was largely open to the wooded crest lest than a half mile parallel to the road. A stretch of woods along the pike, to the south and east of the farm afforded some protection for the brigades of King’s Division. Hatch’s Brigade had already passed this location for some distance and was well to the east on the pike. Gibbon’s Brigade had just passed through the woods, and Doubleday’s was approaching it when the Rebel artillery opened upon them. Noyes wrote that “so sudden a transition from a doze on horseback to the position of target for Rebel artillery exercise was by no means agreeable to me. . . The general at once thundered out, ‘Bring the van forward at double quick; and double-quick it was for some five hundred feet, until we were out of range, with a thick wood between us and the Rebel batteries.”  Gibbon’s Brigade had also sought the shelter of this same woods, and here Doubleday and Gibbon met and conversed.

As it was positively stated the Jackson’s main force was still at Centerville, both General Gibbon and myself supposed we had simply been annoyed by one of the batteries attached to Stuart’s Cavalry, and that it could easily be captured or driven off by sending a small infantry force against it. So I passed General Gibbon and he asked me what I thought we had better do. I replied that we were subordinates, and it was for our division commander to give orders, but I thought we ought to storm the battery. He replied, “By heaven, I’ll do it!” and immediately ordered Colonel Edgar O’ Conner, an accomplished gentleman and graduate of West Point, to march forward obliquely with his regiment (the 2nd Wisconsin) and take the battery in flank.

John Gibbon

Gibbon’s Brigade consisted of four regiments of volunteers, entirely from the west: the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin regiments, and the 19th Indiana. Presuming the artillery to be attached to a cavalry unit, Gibbon ordered the 2nd Wisconsin to dispense with it. Known as “the Ragged Ass 2nd” because of the condition of their trousers, this regiment consisted of the lone veteran unit within Gibbon’s Brigade of westerners. They had fought just a couple of miles to the east of this location in the first Battle of Bull Run the previous year. Apparently, a good amount of posturing had gone on within Gibbon’s Brigade, with the 2nd Wisconsin proudly affirming their veteran status. Here now was an opportunity to demonstrate their skill. And soon, the remaining raw regiments of the brigade would have opportunity to demonstrate that they too were as tough as their words.

Gibbon was especially adept at understanding the character of men and knowing how to motivate and build unity, discipline, and soldierly character. He instilled a pride in the naturally tough character of men hailing from the west, in an army where they were significantly outnumbered by the masses of regiments from the northeast. Gibbon had equipped his brigade with a distinctive black felt hat. He had also drilled and trained them exceedingly well. As their fighting reputation grew in the course of the war, Confederates were known to groan at the sight of “those damned black hat fellows” opposing them.

Gibbon deployed the 2nd Wisconsin obliquely through the woods along the road. As they exited the woods onto the open slope, the Confederate artillery had withdrawn, and over the crest of the hill appeared infantry troops of the famed Stonewall Brigade. Hearing an increasing amount of musket fire, Gibbon deployed the 19th Indiana to the left of the Badger regiment. Jackson likewise threw more troops into the escalating engagement. These Confederate forces were under the divisional command of General Ewell and General Taliaferro. With the rising tide of Confederate forces on the right flank of Gibbon’s growing line, he now deployed the 6th and 7th Wisconsin regiments. As well, he sent aides to request the assistance of other brigades within King’s Division. The only response was from Doubleday, who advanced two of his three regiments, the 76th New York and the 56th Pennsylvania. Doubleday wrote that “… General Gibbon sent to implore me for heaven’s sake to come to his assistance immediately. Our division commander, General Rufus King, had had an epileptic fit the day before. On the present occasion, he dashed by me at full speed with his hat off going in the direction of Gainesville. I never heard that he issued orders to any one until the contest was nearly over. I certainly received none, and came to the conclusion I would have to act for myself. I at once sent in the 76th New York under Colonel William Wainwright, and the 56th Pennsylvania under Colonel Sullivan E. Meredith… ”  Doubleday retained the 95th New York, his other regiment, as support for the six guns of the Battery B of the 4th U.S. Artillery, also known as “Campbell’s Artillery.” This artillery unit, formerly under General Gibbon before the outbreak of the war, was rather permanently attached to Gibbon’s command, and would serve with great distinction, especially at Antietam. On this occasion, Doubleday was the ranking officer on the field, and as Gibbon was engaged with his infantry, moved the artillery to the right flank along the road to achieve a fire into the enemy’s flank (as Doubleday wrote: to take the Rebel line “en echarpe”).

Many artistic depictions of 18th and 19th century warfare present the contending armies mere yards apart, firing into the very face of the enemy. Of course, for the artist to get both sides on the same canvas, this is rather necessary—when in fact, the reality of the situation involved an exponentially greater separation. On this occasion, such an artistic rendering would not be nearly so dramatically opposed to reality. The irresistible force had met the immoveable object. Clashing head-on were the respective armies’ ultimate version of true raw-boned tough guys who would not back down. They each stood firmly at ranges as close as 50 to 75 yards, volleying stubbornly into the faces of the other. An officer of the 2nd Wisconsin wrote: “the 2nd had been through First Bull Run and swaggered a bit as veterans, in consequence. They rather patronized the others, put on veteran’s airs, swore by their own officers, O’Connor, Fairchild and Tom Allen, but had little use for any one else. The 6th, 7th, and 19th had not had the 2nd‘s opportunities but were sure that when the time came they could fight as well and stay as long. It was this that accounts in a large measure for the stirring feat of arms that followed. The 2nd having talked so much could not be the first to fall back. The others would not budge while the 2nd stayed.” <<from … article in the Washington Star, March 16, 1913 by 1st Srg, Gilbert Motier Woodward>>

The brigades of Gibbon and Doubleday were significantly outnumbered in this contest, but did not give any ground. Jackson had the greater number of forces not only engaged, but also in reserve. However, he was unable to quickly deploy his forces in an efficient manner, in part due to both of his division commanders being wounded. Ewell was shot in the knee, and would have his leg amputated, while Taliaferro’s body collected three musket balls before it was over. Darkness was the agent of mercy to bring the fight to a close, though the final volleying continued for some time beyond any ability to visually see the enemy, as each side aimed at the muzzle blasts of the other.

Patrick’s Brigade, though not far from the action and fired upon by another Confederate battery at the outset, remained unengaged. General Patrick was awaiting orders, which of course did not arrive due to King’s medical condition, and he therefore did not choose to operate independently. He was also much disposed in the task of re-gathering the 20th New York Regiment, which demonstrated their raw nature by fleeing the initial cannonade. Hatch’s Brigade, which was somewhat advanced down the pike, did return, but too late to be thrown into the action. Of their arrival, Doubleday wrote: As his [Hatch’s] advanced regiment came on, I requested them to cheer for the purpose of indicating to our exhausted men that reinforcements were coming to their assistance. As soon as the enemy heard these cheers, they ceased firing and fell back a short distance, leaving their pickets on the line the main body had originally held.

The butcher’s invoice for the battle was quite significant, given its short duration. At least a third of Gibbon’s Brigade was killed, wounded, or missing, including the colonel of the 2nd Wisconsin—Edgar O’Conner. Confederate losses were as significant also. On both sides, many surviving officers achieved rapid advancement due to the losses of higher-ranking comrades. It was a most grim task to locate the wounded in such proximity to the enemy. An effort was made to collect as many as could be found yet alive. A livid General Gibbon met with the officers of the division, King now being present. Gibbon was bitter at the losses of so many in his regiment and the sluggardly way only Doubleday had come to his assistance, while the other two brigades offered no help whatsoever. His irritation is quite evident even within his official report where he wrote: “I sent repeated and earnest requests to division headquarters for assistance. Two of General Doubleday’s regiments finally got into line and the fight was kept up vigorously until after dark, when finding that we were far outnumbered and outflanked on the left, where I at length lost all hope of getting help from Patrick’s brigade, I ordered the line to fall back, which was done in good order.”  All the evidence from witnesses within both brigades indicates that Doubleday responded rather quickly to the situation. Gibbon even admitted that in fact, the regiments of Doubleday’s command who did respond were positioned in such a fashion as to have been out of his view. Gibbon also seemed to be rather unaware of the role of the 95th New York in supporting his own brigade’s battery.

Doubleday had interrogated some wounded prisoners, and the commanders of King’s Division now understood that they had engaged the main force of Stonewall Jackson. Discussion ensued as to the appropriate course of action. They were at the base of an incline occupied by a massive force of enemy, who was certain to open upon them with artillery at dawn. Neither the commanding general (Pope) or the corps commander (McDowell) was within range of contact. Confusion reigned supreme on this dark evening. McDowell was riding to consult with Pope at Manassas Junction, though Pope was not actually there, but rather at the Bull Run crossing toward Centreville. General Reynolds, who earlier had ridden to the sound of the fire, consulted with Doubleday, and went to bring up his division for support, but got entirely lost in the darkness. The decision arising from the consultation of the generals of King’s Division was to withdraw toward Manassas and reunite with the army there, or connect with units hoped to be proceeding toward assisting them.

The result of this decision was to essentially march away from a field of battle, only to have to march back to it the next day. Divergent reports of this consultation and decision are evident in the subsequent writings of those present. Many years later, Gibbon wrote that he alone was in a talking mood among the generals present, even though he ranked as the junior officer. King, who was certainly not at the top of his game, was disposed to carry out his orders to march to the east to Centerville. Gibbon was accurate in his assessment of this thought, and verbalized how it was futile to march toward the now obsolete supposed location of an enemy, when in fact the enemy was a mere one-half mile away. Writing years later that, in response to a silence of all the other generals gathered, he proposed marching to the southeast toward Manassas Junction, in order to connect with reinforcements that may well be coming toward their division. Gibbon stated that he did not at that time know that Reynolds had met Doubleday and promised to bring his division by daybreak. Doubleday’s journal records this meeting by saying that General King called his brigade commanders together and asked their advice, as the Corps commander, General McDowell, was absent, and General Pope’s headquarters were unknown. General Gibbon strongly recommended a retreat to Manassas Junction at 1:00 a.m., and so as he had great influence with General King, his opinion prevailed. I was strongly opposed to this movement. It left the way entirely open for Jackson’s force to unite with that of Longstreet.

It is difficult to assess exactly what did transpire. Both Gibbon and Doubleday were prone at times in their subsequent writings toward a selective memory of events and an analytical brilliance of hindsight. But it is difficult to imagine such a meeting where Doubleday would sit meekly and not render an opinion. It is certain that a tremendous breakdown of higher command had resulted from an entire sequence of unanticipated circumstances. Though Doubleday and Gibbon would fight successfully together on a number of fields, their politics and views upon army structure were quite in contrast. Gibbon was a staunchly strong McClellan proponent, even decades after the war. Doubleday was more gracious than Gibbon in his assessments, but clearly, they were not immensely fond of one another. For example, Doubleday wrote in his account that when all was quiet along the lines, General Gibbon, desirous of monopolizing the entire glory for himself, sent a telegraphic dispatch to the effect that his brigade had had a battle with two of Jackson’s divisions. He entirely omitted to state that my men fought by the side with his, and lost in the same proportion. General King countersigned Gibbon’s telegram at his request; but I doubt if he knew much about the engagement, and he was soon after relieved from command of the division.

The truth is that both generals and their brigades fought well in the contest. But Gibbon would never be content with the amount of credit received (or not received) for the battle, and would always feel abandoned by the other brigades within his division. Gibbon expressed this quite vehemently in a letter written in December of 1863, wherein he complained bitterly that he had not yet seen published reports of Doubleday, Patrick and himself in connection with this contest. At that date, only the report of Pope had been public, and Gibbon’s contention was that the other reports would cast a more favorable and accurate light upon the accomplishments of his brigade. Stating that Pope’s report spoke of the action as involving “King’s Division,” Gibbon wrote that “my single brigade was left almost alone to sustain itself against a division of the enemy, and that the division as such was not engaged at all; that in place of being ‘supported handsomely by Doubleday’s brigade,’ but two regiments of that brigade came to our assistance, and then only when the brigade commander had been repeatedly urged to send them by my staff officers, and the late Major-General Reynolds, who came upon the ground during the fight.” The comment is certainly ungenerous, in that Doubleday only had three total regiments, and one was clearly needed to support Gibbon’s battery from being targeted and overrun. Gibbon wrote of the poor nature of the reconnaissance that day, and of Patrick’s Brigade as remaining immoveable without firing a shot. He concluded, “This statement I deem necessary as an act of justice to my command, and respectfully request that it may be published as such and a copy furnished Major-General Pope.”

At 1:00 a.m. the movement toward Manassas Junction commenced, and the division covered the eight miles in about five hours. Doubleday’s diary records his extensive critical evaluation of the lack of wisdom in this movement. Written from the grand perspective of hindsight, it rightly notes the greater advantage that would have been gained from staying in the vicinity of the previous evening’s engagement. Such a course of action might have contributed toward an inability of the two wings of Lee’s army to reconnect. However, quite a chain of positive events would have needed to ensue, and Doubleday’s record is not without a critical tone about the character of some of those directing these needed events. “Had King’s Division remained on the ground it had so gallantly won, it would have been speedily augmented by Sigel’s Corps and by Ricketts’ and Reynolds’ Division of McDowell’s Corps.  While these forces were to interpose between the two wings of Lee’s army, Heintzelman, Reno, and McClellan were expected to act in concert and isolate Jackson.  The unaccountable retreat of General King’s Division on Manassas, which also involved the withdrawal of Ricketts’ Division, and the strange behavior of General McClellan in purposely delaying either to reinforce General Pope or send him supplies, put an end to the plan of the campaign.”

© Randy Buchman, 2012

About Randy Buchman

I live in Western Maryland, and among my too many pursuits and hobbies, I regularly feed multiple hungry blogs. I played college baseball, coached championship cross country teams at Williamsport (MD) High School, and have been a sportswriter for various publications and online venues. My main profession is as the lead pastor of a church in Hagerstown called Tri-State Fellowship. And I'm active in Civil War history and work/serve at Antietam National Battlefield with the Antietam Battlefield Guides organization. Occasionally I sleep.

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Aviation: Jeddah airport’s Southern Terminal in Saudi Arabia closes after 40 years

Published: Updated:

The Southern Terminal in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah is closing after 40 years of service, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced on Saturday.

Flights to the old airport are gradually being directed to the new Terminal 1, GACA said.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Terminal 1, which has been equipped with the latest technologies, has a capacity to welcome more than 30 million passengers annually.

A total of 220 counters were set up to complete travel procedures, as well as 80 passenger self-service counters, 46 gates for international and domestic flights, and an advanced system for handling passengers’ baggage.

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UNICEF in the year of coronavirus

Photo: archive of UNICEF

UNICEF works in over 190 countries of the world to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfill their potential. This year its efforts have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic which has worsened the situation in poverty-stricken regions of the world and created new problems in the developed countries. I spoke to the head of UNICEF‘s Czech branch Pavla Gomba about the challenges that the past year presented.

“2020 is a very exceptional year, and I think that none of us will ever forget it. For UNICEF, it has been particularly challenging because – in addition to old, protracted crises like Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other parts of the world – we are now facing a pandemic that affects us all, regardless of place or age. And of course, the pandemic also affects children, so we are very concerned about it. Just a week ago, we launched the biggest-ever fundraising appeal for the humanitarian crisis around the world.”

Children appear to be less vulnerable to the infection as such, but they are still hit by it. In what other ways is it hitting them?

Pavla Gomba,  photo: Eva Dvořáková / Czech Radio

“Well, we can see that children in homes with limited internet access or computer equipment have fallen behind in their education or even dropped out of school completely. Schools were closed for an incredible 1 billion, 300 million children around the world. In almost all the countries in which UNICEF works, schools have closed for at least some time. In some countries, they remain closed. And of course, in countries with very limited internet access, there are very few alternatives for continuing children’s education. We are concerned about the ‘lost generation’ of children. In addition to challenges in education, which may be more obvious, we also know from our staff in the field that rates of domestic violence, for example, have increased. Women and children are usually most affected by this. Children and their families in the poorer parts of the world also face economic decline and are very hard hit by the crisis. We can see that families that were on the brink of poverty before have now fallen very deeply into poverty. And again, children are the most affected.”

Did the restrictions imposed on travel and such complicate your work in different parts of the world? Getting computers to children maybe or getting people somewhere?

“Yes, of course. It is also a big challenge for our colleagues in the field to gain access to many parts of the world. Only last week I had a call with my colleagues in Bhutan, which is a country that we support directly from the Czech Republic – we have a very nice project for child monks and nuns living in the monasteries there, and they told me that, for them, it had been extremely difficult because Bhutan is completely closed. It a very small country where everything needs to be imported. We supported projects to build washing facilities and toilets in the monasteries there because hygiene and clean water are extremely important for children. And these projects had to be completely stopped because there are no construction materials in the country, and the workers are very limited during the lockdown. So, many of our projects had to be stopped. Again, this has an indirect impact on children.”

You helped Czech families deal with the various challenges that the pandemic presented, including advising parents on how to talk to their children about Covid-19. What advice did you give?

Photo: Thomas Park,  Unsplash / CC0

“Together with some professionals and child psychologists we developed a set of recommendations on how to speak with children about the pandemic without increasing their trauma, and on how to provide the psychological support that the children need. As the situation developed, we also developed a set of recommendations for children’s online security because, with online education, children are more exposed to risks of online abuse and exploitation. So, there are practical tips for parents on what to say, and, for example, on what to avoid. I think the basic advice is really to listen to your children because what they think and say may surprise you. I think listening is extremely important.”

You drew Czech celebrities into a hygiene campaign called “Namydleno”. What was it aimed at?

“Yes, that was also interesting. For us, it was a very exceptional time because we switched to doing domestic programs for, I think, only the second time since World War II. Usually, our objective is to help children elsewhere, the most vulnerable children. But we did a lot of domestic programs that dealt with the first lockdown in the Czech Republic. This awareness-raising campaign about hygiene standards was one of these programs. We were very happy because it was very easy to approach a lot of celebrities and famous people. Some of them had worked with us before, but some of them were new. We know that we have reached over 25 thousand people on social networks with messages on how to wash hands properly and maintain good hygiene standards to reduce the spread of the virus.”

You conducted a survey on how Czech families have coped in this difficult period. How have they coped, what did you find out? What presented a special problem, for instance?

Pavla Gomba,  photo: archive of UNICEF

“We actually conducted two surveys. The first was just a quick poll of families. But when we saw the results, we thought it was so interesting that we needed to repeat it properly and scientifically with all the surveying standards. So, I think the second survey is even more interesting. We interviewed one thousand Czech children – a representative sample of the child population aged 9 to 13 and then 13 to 17. And there were some surprising results. For example, we asked if the situation in their families is the same, better, or worse. A prevailing opinion at the time was that the lockdown was good for families because they could spend more time together. The opinion of the children slightly opposed that because, even though the majority of children were happy to be at home, the number of children who said that the situation in their family is ‘excellent’ declined by 15 % compared to the previous poll. We also asked children what they missed the most during lockdown, how much they learned at home, and what they learned. Interestingly, a majority said that they spent more time studying, but actually learned less. I think 60 or 62 % of children said that learning online is less effective. So, these are some very interesting results. We were positively surprised when we asked the children if they were helping others. 25 % of girls said that they were involved in helping others, mostly with sewing masks. And 17 % of boys said that they were helping, usually doing grocery shopping for older people, and so forth.”

Do you think that this crisis has made them grow up faster?

Photo: archive of Czech Radio

“I would say so. At least for some part of the child population. We are also part of the project aimed at getting computers to children, because we know that in the Czech Republic there are still some families who lack the basic equipment for online education and simply do not have a laptop at home. I myself participated in one of the deliveries of a notebook to a family. And when we talked to the recipient boy, whose name was Alex, he said that it was extremely difficult for him to study in the spring because he simply could not do his homework on his mobile phone. Since he is from a single-parent family, he also had to take care of his younger brother. He was happy to have an arrangement with the school where the teacher printed some of the homework for him, which he would later bring back. But he also said that it had excluded him and made him different from his group of friends. So, I think that this is another issue that we need to think about when we speak about online education.”

You mentioned domestic violence, children may have seen their parents arguing more. Was there a positive aspect to the changes that the pandemic brought in throwing the family together, or do you see the negative ones?

The evidence is very limited. This is related to the character of domestic violence, which is usually not reported or underreported. But we know that this was also an issue before from the previous youth poll. Up to 60 % of children in the Czech Republic faced some type of violence at home. We also know that the pandemic put extra stress and financial strains on parents. So, we cannot provide precise statistics, as no one has them yet. But when we asked children whether the changes of the pandemic were for the better or for worse, there was a mixed picture. 24 % of children said that the changes were for the better. But almost half, 47 %, said that the changes were for the worse. And when we went a little deeper and asked children what they missed the most, most answered that they missed meeting their friends, going out without a mask, and, surprisingly, that they missed going to school. But we could also see that children missed meeting up with their extended families. And I think that it is very important to provide this psychological stability to children. Children need more than a mother and father. They need to be able to see their friends and cousins. This definitely affected the children as well.”

You said this year you turned your attention to the domestic scene. If you were to enumerate some of them, what are the main problems that Czech children have? Because, you know, they live in a rich society compared with what you see elsewhere in the world where you are helping.

Photo: Wilmer López,  Pixabay,  CC0

“When we compare Czech children with children in other rich countries, it is very striking. Because we can see that they enjoy relatively good health. Of course, child obesity is a problem, but it is not a major one. So, health is not a problem. Learning and performance at school are also quite okay, compared to many other countries in the OECD region. But what is very striking and makes the Czech children very different from the other countries is mental health and happiness. Usually, Czech children are among the last in mental health and happiness. They are simply not satisfied with their lives. So, there is a disconnect between the fact that there are objectively few reasons for Czech children to be unhappy and the reality that they are far less happy than children in other rich countries.”

Why is that?

“I think it would require a deeper psychological analysis. But it may also be a part of our mentality – and I am saying that with a small question mark – and the general attitude that we have. This also showed in the youth poll that we conducted in 2017, when we could suddenly see a very steep decline in trust among children. So, it is not only happiness but also trust in adults, in parents, in teachers, the government, and so on. But we also have to be a little careful because from surveys in other countries we have seen that children are the happiest in countries with limited access to news and information. It can also be an effect of the information revolution that children are overwhelmed with data and everything available online.”

What do you think would make them happier? You have spoken to them, seen surveys. Is it material things, or is it attention or something else that they lack?

“I think that there would not be a panacea and the same thing for each and every child. But one thing that rates very high is communication. And this is also very interesting when we compare ourselves to other countries. For example, when we ask children which right is most abused in the Czech Republic, the number one answer is usually freedom of expression. But we think that it is not just about their right to express themselves, but also about the right to be listened to. That is why we appeal to parents, teachers, grandparents, and really anybody, to listen to children and to take them seriously. In our polls, collecting the data was very challenging for those who conducted the interviews with children because, for many children, it is the first time in their lives when somebody seriously asked about their opinion and perspective. I think this is something that is lacking in our society – not only to ask, but also to seriously listen to children. You may smile at this, or you may think it is the same everywhere. But that is not the case. In Germany, for example, children said that what they would like the most is the care and attention of parents – for Czech children, it was the freedom of expression. I think that if, as a society, we listen to children more and we engage them in public events and social life more often, then we will all benefit.”


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A downloadable book

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In many worlds, especially those of the fantasy genre, some materials exist that have properties beyond the normal. A type of wood, for example, might be more resistant to fire, or one particular type of obsidian might glow when underwater due to some arcane property.

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This Quick Generator gives you a system for creating the names or concepts, of materials suitable for the so-called fantasy genre. Using the 2 x d100 tables provided, you can generate 10,000 possible material names or concepts..

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In order to download this book you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:

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Industrial Odour Control - Best practice

Industrial Odour Control - Best practice

Best Practices for Odour Control

Odours can have a severe and significant impact on humans and the environment. Therefore it is vital that all organisations with the potential to generate odours have best practice emission and odour control in place.

To learn more about the impact of industrial odours, visit our blog the importance of odour control.

In this article we examine common causes of odours and outline an approach to develop an odour management and monitoring plan.

Common sources of industrial odours

To effectively develop an odour management and monitoring plan, it is first necessary to understand the causes of emissions and odours. The following is not an exhaustive list, but the most common culprits are:

  • Waste water & storm water: While odours can be generated throughout waste water collection systems, it is odours at waste water treatment facilities that tend to be the subject of complaints. Severe storms can add to the problem, if storm water disrupts odorous materials and carries them away to retention ponds.
  • Solid waste management: Landfills and rubbish dumps where solid waste is allowed to build up are facilities which certainly need to take odour abatement measures.
  • Fugitive emissions: Unintended or peripheral emissions that can be from a wide variety of sources are referred to as fugitive emissions – for example operations associated with small oil petrochemical and gas facilities.

Developing a comprehensive odour management and monitoring plan

An odour management and monitoring plan can act as both a statement of intent to manage odours on site, as well as an instruction manual for management and employees that can be consulted whenever necessary. A good plan will integrate odour management into daily routine, so procedures for the management of potential odour issues become second nature to site staff.

Development and implementation of an effective odour management and monitoring plan should include the following stages:

1. Identifying the odour control requirements

All facilities and operations should be audited to identify potential sources of odour, the manner of discharge, and the frequency of emission (constant, intermittent or occasional). Based on these findings, a detailed plan should be created. The plan should cover odour avoidance, odour control, and odour mitigation strategies for any site operations that have been identified through the audit as having potential to omit odours.

2. Establishing best practice processes

Best operating techniques should be incorporated into standard operating practice (SOP), including all preventative maintenance requirements. Training requirements should be established, and clear protocols put in place to cover all potential scenarios, such as odour complaint response procedures.

3. Record keeping

All issues and control efforts need to be recorded and documented, so that it can be called upon in the case of public enquiries and licensing reviews. Failure to produce accurate records could lead to costly fines and the revocation of licenses, so the importance of record-keeping cannot be overstated.

4. Ongoing odour monitoring

Establish ongoing monitoring requirements and internal checks to evaluate the systems and create a detailed odour monitoring plan. Monitoring plans should include why monitoring will take place, the form of monitoring that will take place, the frequency of monitoring, as well as assessments against any emission limits permitted by your licence. Monitoring can take many different forms, including:

  • Emissions monitoring
  • Sniff testing of ambient air
  • Meteorological monitoring using airfield and MET data
  • Complaints monitoring
  • Odour diaries
  • Surrogate chemicals or process parameters

5. Installing appropriate solutions as required

Once all site requirements have been assessed, and plans have been created and documented, odour solutions can be deployed.

Some of the most common solutions include:

  • Air scrubbing systems to remove particulates and gas from industrial exhaust streams
  • Photoionisation systems to disinfect and remove odours from contaminated air
  • Activated carbon to soak up VOCs and other odorous contaminants from air
  • Misting and dosing systems to encourage absorption and decomposition, and convert molecules into non-volatile compounds
  • Odour control chemicals: an example of a control chemical would be ammonium nitrate or calcium nitrate which help prevent odours associated with hydrogen sulphide.

In summary

Odour control remains an important responsibility for many industries. Depending on the source and cause of emissions, Enva can offer a wide range of odour abatement solutions, working with you to identify the most appropriate for your needs. Visit our industrial odour services page for more information.

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Demand Charges: The Hidden Roadblock To EV Charging Buildout

The once distant allure of an electrified world has been met with the uplifting reality that this paradigm shift is alive and well underway. Questions about the feasibility and benefits of electric vehicles have been replaced outright with how quickly more vehicles and infrastructure can be rolled out. From the days of General Motors’ EV1 experimental vehicle of the late 1990’s, to Tesla’s $40,000 Model 3 with its rabid fan base and 12 to 18 month waiting list; electric vehicles and their associated infrastructure are the new reality of our time.

While consumers may rightly be focused on plummeting electric vehicle costs and technology innovation, it’s the growth of public DC fast charging stations (DCFC) that are worth a closer look. The proliferation of more DCFC stations will further drive vehicle adoption rates more than nearly any other single factor. It will be the relationship between electric utilities and the site operators of DC fast chargers that will further incentivize more stations to be built at market rates that can be both profitable to the operator and reasonably priced for the end user.

One mechanism for making this happen is the intelligent use of rate design and demand charges. Responsible in some instances for up to 90% of the bill, demand charges levied at DC fast charging stations, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), can have an outsized impact on EV drivers and the buildout of critical infrastructure.

Demand Charges and Pricing

EV drivers of today can choose from essentially 3 modes of charging; at home, at work, or at a public charging station. “Level 1” charging at home means plugging your vehicle into a standard home outlet. “Level 2” chargers work up to six time faster than Level 1 charging and can be found across homes, offices and public charging areas. But DC fast chargers available at today’s public charging stations reigns supreme delivering 100 – 200 miles of range per hour according to ChargePoint. State-of-the art technology just starting to hit the market can deliver up to 1,000 miles of range per hour depending on the capability of the vehicle’s battery system. While time of use (TOU) rates that some utilities use to incentivize charging at off-peak times can shape the longer-term load associated with workplace and residential charging (Level 1 and some Level 2), TOU rates are not a means to mitigate demand charges. Instead, it is the drivers and site-operators of on-demand DC fast charging station that are most directly impacted by demand charges.

To start, legacy electricity rate structures were not designed for the operation of DC fast charging equipment. In fact, these structures can create a barrier to the operation of these stations. Utilities then, have vital role to play in determining which rate structures work best for driving further electrification investments. According to the RMI, EV adoption rates on a compound annual growth rate basis have been around 30-40% in recent years so there’s not a shred of doubt that the initial momentum is there. But for the electrified infrastructure to truly coalesce, and for societal benefits to be realized, changes will need to happen behind the scenes. “For the benefit of the system and for customers, you have to solve the fast charging problem.” says Brendan Jordan, Vice President at the Great Plains Institute. GPI’s core mission is the de-carbonization of the transportation sector.

One way to approach the fast charging issue, is through the rates drivers pay to charge their vehicles. Charging rates can be a convoluted concept for even the most tuned-in of electric vehicle early adopters.

According to RMI’s comprehensive “From Gas to Grid” report, the per mile cost to charge an EV in a representative sample of 5 US states ranges from a high of $0.22/mile to a low $0.03/mile. The per mile fueling costs of a gasoline vehicle range from $0.13/mile to $0.09/mile. Not only does this demonstrate parity between the two, but in some states such as Texas, DC fast charging per mile costs are lower than per mile gasoline costs. EV drivers should know that charging station prices and the related cost per mile are based on several factors. These include the region the charging station is in, what specific type of DCFC is in use, which utility is supplying the power (an IOU or municipality) and which tariff structure is in use. In some cases, demand charges are part of that tariff, and can have market distorting influence on prices.

“Good rate design has to do with performance based regulation. If you want good outcomes, then it really starts with rates,” says Chris Nelder, Manager, at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Utility rates and tariffs aren’t just a vital part of what drivers pay but the profits that charging station operators can achieve. This in turns helps drive investment dollars into additional charging stations in the quest for more infrastructure. What then really is a demand charge and why does it seem to be the biggest behind the scene factor that few people have heard of?

Demand charges are special charges based on the peak rate of electricity consumption in a month which are applied in addition to the cost of the actual electricity itself.

“Demand charges help cover the cost of the upstream investment, to cover the cost of load spikes at the center. They were meant for industrial customers and serve a purpose, to give users a signal that they should lighten up on the load and come up with a flatter demand,” says Nelder. In RMI’s research of charging station rates, Nelder confirms why these charges can have such an outsized role on the entire bill.

As charging stations begin to multiply in number, it’s important to keep in mind that not all of them are as well utilized as others. This may be because a station is too new or in an infrequently trafficked location. The utilization of charging stations in more rural areas for example may still lag even when EV adoption becomes more widespread “You can’t talk about demand charges in isolation, it’s a combination of what the demand charges are at a utilization rate,” he says. The demand charge issue is more prevalent at DC fast-charging stations that are “high power – low utilization” that don’t have a large number of vehicles charging at the location frequently enough. This is a concern for the latest public DCFCs, and less for level 1 and 2 charging setups at home or at the workplace.

“The particular ones we (Rocky Mountain Institute) analyzed had low utilization rates, with some only in use 10% of the time and as consequence of that, the demand charges made up perhaps 90% of the bill. This was really an unintended consequence of a conventional rate design meeting a spikey load, because utilization rates on the chargers are low.” RMI’s research is as comprehensive as it is startling. Rates analyzed are from RMI’s analysis of data from every 2016 charging session from all 230 of EVgo’s DC fast charging stations located in California.

“If the utilization rate was 50% the demand charges would be less of an onerous problem. As the utilization of vehicles charging at a particular charging site increases, and through greater energy consumption, this allows for better recovery of costs.”

Even 15 minutes of use during peak time during a given month can already incur steep demand charges whereas some utilities use 30 minute windows. Other utilities make use of ratchets. Here, the highest peak of the year can set a minimum threshold for the other months in the year, typically some percent of their highest peak (i.e. 70%). As far as who truly pays for these excess charges however, the answer also varies. The owner operator may eat the entire cost of demand charging without passing them on to the actual driver. In other cases, drivers end up footing a portion of the bill increase.

Charging station giant EVgo for example, does not expose customers to varying prices. Though RMI still recommends that varying wholesale prices be passed on to customers to give them a clear signal on when a good time to charge is and which times are less than ideal.

The variation continues when it comes to how utilities set rates for EVs. For an Investor Owned Utility (IOU) to go through a rate change related to electric vehicles it’s a longer more drawn out process involving the Public Utility Commission. It may take years to be approved. With a “muni” or co-op the process is more streamlined as the utility generally has a smaller coverage area and is accountable to a smaller stakeholder group. Utilities of all types have rate payer groups that are concerned that the power consumed to charge electric vehicles is a cost burden that those who don’t own these vehicles should not have to shoulder. Overall rates and corresponding demand charges at IOUs are often higher than muni’s and co-ops. The rates can be over $25/kW-month for some of the investor owned utilities. With a DC deployment of just 100kW, that results in > $2,500 per month in demand charges alone before the site owner pays for hardware, installation, energy and other recurring costs.

“Austin Energy is a muni that is very progressive in its various offering for chargers and they have a whole suite of programs for EV drivers,” says Nelder. They offer an initially discounted program of $4.17 a month for unlimited charging at any of their public charging stations. In addition, through their Austin Energy rebates, drivers can get discounts on faster 240v charging stations for their homes.

What’s Driving the Push

DC fast chargers are no longer just a nice-to-have, but are being propelled forward by a growing market need. As the battery range of new EVs grows, more DC fast-charging stations will be needed to accommodate these vehicles. It may sound counterintuitive, but the greater the battery range of upcoming EVs, the greater the expanses they’re able to travel to and the more support they’ll need to continue to expand their driving network. According to GPI’s Brendan Jordan, “Having the ability to take that longer road trip is ultimately what will dictate whether some will buy an EV.” Today there are a small number of vehicles that support fast charging besides Tesla. Those include a handful of vehicles like the BMW i3, Volkswagen eGolf, and the Nissan Leaf. Due to the more limited range of these aforementioned vehicles (less than 120 mile range) these vehicles are not currently relying much on fast charging and the charging station utilization of these models is relatively low. The Chevy Bolt has a higher range but right now only accommodates fast charging up to around 55kW. But with range increases and new vehicles on the horizon, there will be many more DCFC-ready cars on the road. A handful of forward thinking utilities are stepping up to accommodate that influx of vehicles. Southern California Edison’s five-year freeze on monthly demand charges will help deemphasize the role of these charges in the bill during which time the utility will recover costs through energy charges. Demand charges will then be phased in at the end of the 5-year introductory term, according to RMI’s Gas to Grid report.

The infrastructure is also being spurred on in some unforeseen ways. Volkswagen’s “dieselgate” fiasco is now directly contributing to the growth of electric vehicle charging stations. As part of its settlement with the California Air Resources Board and its new Electrify America initiative, the company plans to invest $2 billion over the next 10 years in zero emission-vehicle infrastructure and education programs in the U.S. $800 million of that amount will be invested in California and $1.2 billion invested across the rest of the United States. RMI estimates that the first of four 30-month, $300 million investment cycles could result in about a “50% increase over the number of DCFC charging ports that exist nationally today, as well as a slight increase in the number of Level 2 chargers,” according to their Gas to Grid report. If the final three investment cycles were similar to the first cycle, the total number of DCFC charging ports nationally could be double the roughly 5,700 ports that exist currently.

As egregious as the Volkswagen violations have been, several other manufacturers including Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Daimler, Audi, Renault, PSA Group (the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars), Porsche, and Bosch have all been accused of similar cheating activities. According to Nelder, if those companies were also held liable and forced to make infrastructure investments as Volkswagen has been, it could result in a very significant increase in the number of available charging stations in the United States.

The Deployment of Infrastructure

What then should be the strategy for deploying EV infrastructure and what can utilities do to make their rate design and demand charges act as an enabler rather than an obstacle? One strategy is to not just build out infrastructure, but to overbuild it and make sure that public peak times are covered. It’s also important to understand that increased demand on the grid is a good outcome for utilities, when managed intelligently. An intense need for more DCFCs means that utilities, regulators, and site operators should focus on locating charging stations in a way where they will act as effective grid assets. This will incentivize more frequent use, which creates a profitable and sustainable business outcome. Greater utilization in turn, will lessen the portion of the bill made up of demand charges.

Brendan Jordan, of the Great Plain Institute believes that EVs will provide a net beneficial load. “Electric vehicle revenues will be great for utilities and will exceed the cost to serve them. They will help on the curtailment on renewables. The benefits of EVs will exceed the costs once they scale up and put downward pressure on rates.”

For Jordan, effective utility rates and the demand charge issue can be addressed in different ways. Off-peak charging is key, “Moving charging times to off-peak times is a good idea and there are apps out there to make sure it happens. So that you’re not charging at 6pm and more towards 11pm. 90% of charging will be off-peak if we design things correctly.”

Changes to utility rates structures will also play a role, “We need changes to the way we charge. Instead of dinging them for 15 minutes have them pay for the system that they actually use, it’s like charging people for water based on the size of the pipe that’s delivering it into their home instead of the amount they’re actually using,” says Jordan.

Like so many aspects of the EV infrastructure question, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to rate and demand charge design. What may work in a particular region or for a particular utility may not be effective somewhere else. Part of this is due to the relative infancy of the charging market. “The current patchwork network of vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S. is still small enough and young enough that we lack sufficient data and rigorous analysis to answer many of these questions,” according to RMI’s Chris Nelder and the Gas to Grid report. A more effective approach then, is to pilot different rates programs with varying demand charge thresholds to determine which ones meet electrification goals most efficiently.

In Massachusetts, lawmakers today are working to pilot rate structures more in line with electric vehicle charging. House Bill 3742 – An act relative to electric vehicle expansion was filed by State Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr., the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities, and Energy. Golden’s legislation would require Massachusetts utilities to file pilot commercial tariffs with the Department of Public Utilities that feature alternative rate structures, that among other things, dampen the impact of demand charges. These pilot rates will help to facilitate faster charging for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles for assessing the benefits and costs associated with various charging rate designs.

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to the thresholds at which demand charges kick in; that too varies greatly by utility. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) lowered the threshold for demand charges to 75kW from 200kw last year. This makes installing more than a single 50kW fast charger on site much less appealing. Some utilities do not have demand charges until the load is 499kW or greater. This will help to encourage greater adoption of DC fast charging in these markets. As vehicles that charge at higher rates come on the road over the next year, even 499kW will not be a low enough demand charge threshold for installations with more than a few DC fast chargers. Along with the “overbuilding” of infrastructure, it’s important to have enough redundant charging at each location so drivers can count on a charge during high usage periods or times where one or two chargers may not be working.

Some like San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) have taken an even more progressive approach and proposed a temporary demand charge holiday altogether. “The theory is let’s take demand charges off the charging stations until the market matures, to get to a higher utilization rate, and then scale them in without killing the goose that’s laying the egg,” says Nelder.

But demand charges rates and thresholds should align with market conditions at charging stations themselves. A better approach to configuring demand charge pricing is to look at the actual utilization of charging stations and scale demand charges up or down accordingly, rather than trying to guess when charging station utilization will be high enough to support a demand charge.

Societal Benefits

In America and across the globe, broad commitments to EVs are becoming more clear and decisive. The French and British plan to ban all internal combustion vehicles sales by 2040. In China, a specific date for such a ban is soon to be proposed, and in progressive California, a bill is to be introduced in the state assembly by January 2018 that would ban the sales of cars and trucks with ICEs by 2040. Predictions from Investment Bank UBS are that US EV sales will rise to somewhere between 640,000 to 800,000 per year by 2021 with Tesla selling 250,000 of them. For these forecasts to come to fruition, utilities will have to actively partake in charging station rollouts and smart rate design.

Intelligent policy decisions at the state and federal level can bring everything together by offering a tax credit to company’s putting capital to work installing charging stations, or a tax equity opportunity for those investing in the charging stations. “A key question is affordability of charging to the end user, and the affordability of running it at the site host level through smart rate design,” says Chris Nelder. “A lot of the incentives we’d want, to support charging rates, would be done at the state level, creating incentives to support private sector charging companies to build in our state, and give tax credits to companies making incentives.”

If the electric vehicle movement can make the grid more efficient, reduce unit costs of electricity while boosting the share of renewables then there’s a lot to like about the future unfolding before us. Massachusetts State Representative Thomas A. Golden Jr., sums it up best, “Electric vehicles are in our future and charging stations will be as common as the gas station on the corner. That’s why it’s important now to have conversations with stakeholders to get the infrastructure and rate design right, which is why I filed my bill to accelerate the expansion of electric vehicles.”

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