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Elon Musk Predicts 3 Huge Milestones for the Next Decade by Mike Crisolago

William Attardi on September 19, 2026

Elon Musk is known for his visions of the future — even if most don’t come true. Nevertheless, such predictions, made by the world’s richest man — who controls some of the world’s biggest tech companies — at the very least allow observers to imagine that a future once confined to the realms of sci-fi fantasy could actually be within reach. On Tuesday’s earnings call, these three predictions stood out from the rest:

  1. SpaceX would deliver $1 trillion in revenue by 2030: No company has ever recorded a trillion dollars in revenue in a year, but Musk believes SpaceX could hit that mark sooner than even he’d projected.
  2. Starlink will provide the majority of the world’s internet in less than a decade: This is a bold prediction given the world boasts around six billion internet users and Starlink’s current subscriber base of 12 million represents about 0.2% of them.
  3. SpaceX could build a manufacturing hub on the moon: Perhaps the boldest of Musk’s predictions is his desire to use robots “to scale up manufacturing on the moon” to build factories, a mass accelerator and enable solar and radiator production. This is the prediction he referred to as sounding “super sci-fi right now” while reiterating that “it will happen with boots on the moon in 2028.”  Elon Musk predicts 3 huge milestones for the next decade: ‘It sounds super sci-fi but it’s going to happen’

Congress Pushed to Act Now to Stop Looming Crisis for America’s Electric Grid by Kerry Picket

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

America’s electrical grid is hurtling toward a crisis point, according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. The association projects that U.S. electricity demand will surge 55% by 2050, driven largely by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and data centers. To bolster the electric grid, NEMA is pushing for Congress to pass the Senate’s STRONG Grid Act and Rewiring America Act and the House’s High-Capacity Grid Act. Congress pushed to act now to stop looming crisis for America’s electric grid

Hitachi Energy to Invest $528 Million in New Transformer Factory in Mississippi by Laila Kearney And Kaori Kaneko

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

Hitachi Energy plans to build a $528 million factory in Mississippi to produce electrical transformers, marking the single-biggest investment the company has made as part of its U.S. manufacturing expansion. The country’s record-high power demand – driven by the proliferation of the technology industry’s giant data centers and the electrification of buildings and transportation – has butted up against a lack of critical electrical infrastructure like transformers and circuit breakers. The Gallman, Mississippi, plant, which is expected to start operations in 2029, will be roughly double the size of Hitachi Energy’s existing Crystal Springs facility in the state. The Gallman plant will produce the mid-range transformers that are used in data center projects, semi-conductor plants and other industrial operations with large power needs. Hitachi’s new Mississippi investment will complete the $1.5 billion the company is spending to boost its production capacity in the U.S. Hitachi Energy to invest $528 million in new transformer factory in Mississippi

Toyota Expects Factory Automation to Cost $6.4 Billion

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

Toyota Motor estimates it could cost $6.4 billion every year from 2028 to modernize its factories worldwide, including the use of automation and robotics. The world’s biggest carmaker told investors it wants around 400,000 robots in its factories as a way to address the company’s aging infrastructure. Many of those robots will replace existing robots.Toyota did not specifically announce when the investments or changes would begin. Other carmakers are reportedly looking into similar investments to upgrade factory output. Business News Today – tEDmag

Montreal Manufacturer Explores a Move to the U.S. as Tariff War Escalates

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

A recent survey found four in 10 Canadian manufacturers have either made the move or are considering it. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs were the tipping point for Aeris Protective Packaging Inc. Founder and president Michael Leiberman, a born-and-raised Montrealer, is opening a manufacturing plant south of the border to keep his business alive. The local company’s move highlights a growing exodus of Canadian manufacturers driven across the border by escalating trade crossfire and uncompetitive domestic business costs. As cross-border tariffs continue to hurt small and medium-sized businesses, industry experts warn that Canada’s economy is ill-equipped to sustain a prolonged trade war with its largest partner. Montreal manufacturer explores a move to the U.S. as tariff war escalates – Montreal Gazette

Trump Guts Climate Rules for Coal and Gas Power Plants by Rachel Frazin

William Attardi on September 18, 2026

The Trump administration on Monday gutted regulations that limited planet-warming emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. Monday’s move could be slightly different. While it is expected to repeal large swaths of Biden-era power plant regulations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assistant administrator Aaron Szabo told reporters that limited pieces of Biden- and Obama-era regs would remain in place. In addition to Monday’s final rule, the EPA proposed to find that the Clean Air Act does not give it the authority to regulate power plant emissions due to their climate impacts. If finalized, Szabo said that this move could block future administrations from regulating power plants’ climate emissions. Trump EPA guts power plant emission rules

9/11 – We Remember

William Attardi on September 13, 2026

One of the most mind-blowing memories of the 9-11 tragedies is the selfless sense of duty of the rescue workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster. Hundreds of fire-fighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) risked their own lives in hopes of saving others. Their heroics on that day have been well-documented over the past few months. But five months after the disaster, the disappointment still lingers for many of them that they didn’t save more people. 9/11 – We Remember | Electrical Wholesaling

DOE Releases 2026 U.S. Energy and Employment Report

William Attardi on September 9, 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the 2026 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). The annual report highlights strong job growth across critical energy sectors at the heart of President Trump’s Energy Dominance agenda. America’s most reliable energy sectors are adding jobs and powering industries across the country. These critical sectors deliver the affordable, reliable, and secure energy that American families, businesses, and industries depend on. DOE Releases 2026 U.S. Energy and Employment Report – tEDmag

 

 

Supporters Hopeful as DOE and EPA Finalize Energy Star Transition Plan by Robert Freedman

William Attardi on September 9, 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy’s success with its Better Buildings Initiative shows the agency knows how to make a public-private partnership like Energy Star work, an industry supporter says. The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 28 finalized a planto make DOE the lead agency on the federal government’s Energy Star program by this time next year. In what industry groups say is an encouraging sign, the document emphasizes the agencies’ commitment to ensuring the program has adequate funding and staffing, a concern since the Trump administration has tried cutting the program in its budget requests. Supporters hopeful as DOE and EPA finalize Energy Star transition plan | Facilities Dive

Canada Announces Counter-Tariffs Against the United States

William Attardi on September 9, 2026

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the United States’ tariffs on August 22 took effect at 12:01 a.m. today, covering approximately $27.6 billion of U.S.-origin goods at rates of 15%, 25%, or 50%. The measures apply only to goods originating in the United States; U.S. goods already in transit to Canada today are exempt. Among the electrical-related items (see the full listfor specific exclusions and details):

  • Copper wire:multiple refined-copper wire classifications carry a 50% tariff.
  • Aluminum wire:multiple aluminum and aluminum-alloy wire classifications carry a 50% tariff.
  • Aluminum stranded wire and cable that is not electrically insulated, including steel-core conductor, carries a 50% tariff.
  • Other insulated electric conductors rated at 1,000 V or lessunder tariff item 8544.49.00 carry a 25% tariff.
  • LED ceiling and wall luminaires, plus certain other LED luminaires, carry a 50% tariff.

Canada Announces Counter-Tariffs Against the United States – tEDmag

It’s Back to School – How Some of Our Most Acknowledged Universities Got Their Name – Who were the true visionaries who would donate half of their estate to sculpting the minds of the future. These stories are monuments to history and culture. Let’s take a stroll through academia’s memory lane and uncover the origins of these storied university names!

  1. Ah, Harvard! The Ivy League giant was once a small college in the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement called New Towne. But where did “Harvard” come from? Enter John Harvard, a clergyman who, in 1638, decided to bequeath half his estate and his library (a whopping 400 books!) to the fledgling college. Grateful for this generous gift, they promptly named the institution after him.
  2. A gem of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale is another Ivy League powerhouse known for its prestigious law and drama schools. It owes its name to Elihu Yale, a wealthy merchant who, in 1718, donated a modest shipment of goods (including portraits, books, and textiles) to a struggling collegiate school. Those goods were auctioned off, raising a much-needed £562 –a small fortune at the time.
  3. Dartmouth is renowned for its beautiful rural setting, nestled in the picturesque town of Hanover, New Hampshire. It was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, William Legge, a British nobleman who supported the college’s founding –despite never actually setting foot in America!
  4. Brown, this Rhode Island Ivy University, known for its open curriculum and emphasis on student choice, was founded with a mouthful of a name – the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed in 1704 for Nicholas Brown, Jr., a prominent merchant whose family donated generously to the school.
  5. Perched atop a hill overlooking Ithaca, New York, Cornell is celebrated for its diverse academic programs and its stunning natural surroundings. Founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, this university was unique for its commitment to practical education, allowing students the freedom to choose their own course of study. It was a revolutionary notion at the time, which would guide a curricular reform across the country.
  6. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and its close ties to the tech industry. But this California powerhouse has a touching origin story. Leland Stanford, Jr., the founder’s son, tragically died young from typhoid fever. His father Leland Sr., railroad magnate and former state governor, and his mother Jane, founded the university in his memory, ensuring his legacy lived on through the pursuit of knowledge.
  7. This North Carolina research giant, known for its strong medical and law schools, underwent a bit of a name change in its history. Originally called Trinity College, it was renamed Duke University in 1924 after James Buchanan Duke, a tobacco and electric power industrialist who founded the American Tobacco Company. He established The Duke Endowment, to which he donated throughout his life and left half his estate after his death.
  8. Nestled in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt is a renowned research university with a vibrant campus life. It owes its name to “The Commodore,” Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, who provided the initial gift to establish the university.
  9. Texas businessman William Marsh Rice provided the initial funding for this Houston university, but did not live to see its opening. He was murdered by his valet as he slept, in a plot to forge the man’s will. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rice University flourished through the years, becoming an institution known for its strong engineering and science programs.
  10. Who was Harvard named after? Origin of university names