A U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E project that began in 2014 with $3.3 million in funding could be the genesis of a hybrid solar energy converter that generates electricity and steam.

Change. It is something that all of us are faced with these days. From COVID-19 to civil unrest, we are facing new business and personal challenges that can also provide opportunities, depending on how you look at them.

From even before I could actually read, or so my parents tell the story, you could find me with my nose buried in a book. I would tell myself stories in “toddler talk” as I turned the pages of my favorite bedtime stories. 

As I write this commentary, the world is facing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At times, it seems the news will never improve. While I cannot predict when the headwinds will turn in our favor, I can share what has been helping me.

What is the product that made you stop and ask, “Where have you been all my life?” For me, it’s a tight race between my smartphone and heated car seats. For many companies engaged in operations involving thermal processing, I suspect it will be the advent of cloud-based predictive maintenance and remote process management platforms.

Interested in learning more about steam generation, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, combustion safety via LFL process monitoring, industrial heaters or industrial ovens? Tap our on-demand webinars as well as a new resource from the Department of Energy.

Since this column will appear in our January issue, I can finally tell you about a project that has been in the works for quite a while: our new eBook on thermal fluid heating for industrial processes.

One of my favorite things to do near the end of the year is review the most popular content on our site — in the last year and overall. It helps me recognize topics that may warrant more coverage, and it can prompt me to revisit still-popular topics I may have missed in 2019.

With the three new webinars we have planned for October, you can gain valuable knowledge from the comfort of your office chair — or even your couch. What’s better than that?

Those that have worked with industrial thermal technologies likely remember when the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Technology Program was actively marketing its efforts to reduce industry’s energy consumption — and thereby reduce overall demand for energy.