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Should the US Put Power Lines Underground?

posted by martyb on Thursday September 14 2017, @12:30AM   Printer-friendly
from the better-ask-Betteridge dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

It is the height of a highly destructive hurricane season in the United States. The devastation of Harvey in Texas and Louisiana caused nearly 300,000 customers to lose electricity service, and Hurricane Irma has cut service to millions of people. Soon, winter storms will bring wind and snow to much of the country.

Anxious people everywhere worry about the impact these storms might have on their safety, comfort and convenience. Will they disrupt my commute to work? My children's ride to school? My electricity service?

When it comes to electricity, people turn their attention to the power lines overhead and wonder if their electricity service might be more secure if those lines were buried underground. But having studied this question for utilities and regulators, I can say the answer is not that straightforward. Burying power lines, also called undergrounding, is expensive, requires the involvement of many stakeholders and might not solve the problem at all.

Would burying power lines render them more weather-proof?

Read the full article on The Conversation.

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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday September 14 2017, @05:19PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 14 2017, @05:19PM (#567948) Journal

    And you don't think digging a trench, laying concrete pipe, and being unable to ever service it without a major undertaking didn't raise the cost of your home significantly?

    Nope, I don't.
    it's all about demand and supply - I'm amazed that you still think that the price you pay is in any relation with the production cost. Especially for non-captured markets.

    Having to spend your personal money on wasteful bullshit for aesthetic reasons is about the advancement of society.

    I may or may not give a dam about the aesthetics, but the tree in from of my home offers part of AC by the shadow it casts for 3hours/day and does not require extra money I need to pay for "vegetation management".
    Not to mention that underground power cabling is more secure and easier to maintain once in place

    So, the truth of whom, wisebutt?

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