[geeks] power (was Mr. Bill)

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: John Francini <francini at mac.com>
" 
" > Gustav, Ike, Katrina and several nameless tornadoes around central  
" > Indiana all reek havoc on hard-working citizens and businesses alike.
" 
" The debris left behind after a storm can indeed reek after the storm  
" has wreaked its havoc.

you mean wrought its havoc?

" > Heart-breaking tales of lost homes, cherished possessions and  
" > injured loved-ones break hearts and evoke strong emotions. In the  
" > midst of all this tragedy I began to wonder about a practical and  
" > mundane matter; electricity. We have overhead power lines across  
" > much of the United States, and as we've seen they're extremely  
" > vulnerable to the elements and even an errant motorist. Given we've  
" > had about a century to perfect electric generation and transmission  
" > in this country why can't we bury power lines to ensure continuous  
" > operation in times of peril? The cost of constant repairs after  
" > storms should balance the cost on the burial and management of the  
" > cables. Additionally, continual electrical service will enable water  
" > treatment plants, gas stations, and other essentials key to modern  
" > living to continue operations throughout disasters. Why can't this  
" > vulnerability in our infrastructure be fixed?
" 
" I don't understand this either. The only places that seem to  
" consistently bury utilities are planned upscale housing developments,  
" condo complexes, and the downtown/central areas of cities.  The rest  
" of the country's utility companies seem to be content with putting  
" wires on sticks and wondering why they come down in hurricanes/ 
" tornadoes/ice storms.

one thing i learned when i went to work for at&t - i had no idea how
frigging -big- the phone company was.  when my first project slipped
its first-ship deadline by a month and our first customer got upset,
my reaction was 'what's the deal?  that's one more month they don't
have to pay the $1M price'.

then i found out they'd already arranged traffic for the switch which
would bring in $1M/month...

[i finally came to see it as like a nuclear attack submarine, with the
phone on your desk the tip of the periscope]

there must be a staggering investment in the present poles etc.  what
fraction in 'tornado alley' is torn up in an average year?  or by
hurricanes along the coasts?

burying power costs a lot more than poles, and as they've shown in
florida, isn't lightning-proof - it still seeks out the electric
field.  i imagine it's also not earthquake or flood proof...  and it's
not as flexible in the face of changing demand for service.

in any urban area you'd be faced with massive disruption of streets
and probably other utilities in the course of digging the trenches and
manholes.  this could multiply the cost many times again.

even in the best case burying would take longer, and right now i bet
few houstonians would be willing to wait, even though this would be
an ideal time to do it.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought