Online: Meeting Your Training Needs
June 12, 2020
Net-Zero Emissions? What does it mean?
June 29, 2020
FCS is celebrating its 25th anniversary!
The Beginning of FCS
It is surprising to me that 25 years have passed since the founders including Michael McClintock and myself decided to start a power industry training, engineering, and technical services firm.
Check out this message from the FCS President, Herman Stone.
We (the three founders) were working together at a large training firm. It was there we decided we could provide a better power plant training approach to industry consumers.
FCS was established on June 1, 1995. We just celebrated its 25th Anniversary!
We were exclusively working at power and district energy plants but over time we have enhanced our capabilities to support all types of heavy industrial plants. These include pulp and paper, steel, petrochemical, wastewater and food, and beverage.
We are so thankful for having such awesome customers. They have allowed us to help develop their personnel training while also expanding our capabilities far beyond our initial mission and vision.
The 25th Anniversary
FCS has hit many milestones in the last 25 years. We have worked in nearly every state, the Caribbean, and over 10 foreign countries. We have also brought training, engineering and technology transfer services, simulations, and more to over 150 power and process plants.
FCS prides itself on its “hands-on” approach. It is designed around assessing customer’s needs and designing programs that optimize the performance of the organization. Additionally, our services have resulted in the delivery of over 50 simulator programs, dozens of hands-on training and qualification programs, operating and maintenance procedures, and many web-based learning management systems.
Compared to 25 years ago, the training is shifting to web-based, tablet-based, and online delivery using portals such as Go-To-Meeting®, Zoom®, WebEx®, and Amazon Chime®.
The Difference Between 1995 and Now
The Energy industry has changed significantly in the past 25 years. According to the Energy Information Agency (https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/), coal as a source of energy production has dropped by nearly 45 percent while the use of natural gas for energy production has increased by over 40% and the use of renewable energy for energy production has increased by nearly 75% and continues to grow. The table below includes additional interesting facts:
| Fact | 1995 | 2020 |
| U.S Annual Generation1 | 3.353 Billion Megawatthours | 4.178 Billion Megawatthours |
| CO2 Emissions2 | 1960.05 Million Metric Tons | 1619.003 Million Metric Tons |
| US avg. price for kwh of electricity (adj.) | 10.29¢ents | 13.4¢ents |
| US market price for therm of natural gas (adj.) | $0.61 | $1.03 |
| US market price for short ton of subbituminous coal (adj.) | $31.32 | $13.64 |
| Coal share of electrical generation in US | 51% | 27% |
Notes:
- https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/data-and-statistics.php
- https://www.climatecentral.org/news/power-plant-emissions-fall-lowest-level-decades-20357
In 1995, FCS training focused on coal power plant staff development but as the world has shifted to cleaner forms of energy. We have shifted our focus to power plant coal-to-gas conversions and staff development services for the addition of environmental systems that allow power and process plants to continue to operate in an environmentally compatible manner. Furthermore, we are proud to have contributed in a small way to help the industry reduce emissions from their plants. The interesting fact, shown above, is emissions have decreased while the total power generation has increased across the United States.
Moving Forward
We look forward to a solid future in which we continue working with our customers. Our aim is to develop lasting and solid working relationships. These relationships are based on our proven ability to provide high-quality, cost-effective solutions that support management goals. We thank our customers for the opportunity to be of service.
