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01Zaphod t1_j5pfytj wrote

Reply to comment by THE_GREAT_PICKLE in Why does this state seem to lose power so frequently? It’s always related to downed power lines from trees? Or is this a grid issue? by JayBisky

What pisses me off is not losing power during the storm, but losing it two or 3 days after the storm when there are clear skies and no wind. Happens a lot where I live, and it makes no sense.

Put the damn lines underground!

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Tullyswimmer t1_j5pvjri wrote

Squirrels. I've lost it a few times due to them. They'll get up on the lines and jump to the transformers and, well...

Also, in the terrain we have putting them underground is expensive as all hell and can only be done 6 months out of the year.

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UnfairAd7220 t1_j5q9awa wrote

You think a billion dollars is pocket change?

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Acanthaceae_Square t1_j5qnuls wrote

Cumulatively compared to the cost of continuing to repair outages and downed lines from storms, plus associated costs of not having power, year after year? Yes

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01Zaphod t1_j5yj5s2 wrote

I’m not going to argue with you there. I’m with you on that.

However, if the infrastructure had been put underground to start with, recurring maintenance costs due to inclement weather, natural disasters and animal/human accidents would be dramatically less than it is now. A bonus to that situation would be better protection against EMP discharge or terrorist attack.

If you think about it, all of our other services are underground - waste (for obvious reasons), water, propane, natural gas, etc. Why not our power grid?

From a historical perspective, I believe the decision was made to utilize the existing telegraph structures to transfer electricity because it was cheaper and faster to install. I’m not a historian, so don’t quote me on that - it’s just conjecture.

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