Underground power, until now, has been overlooked in the way we set up our infrastructure. We use above-ground power almost exclusively because it's easy to install, cheap to buy the materials and, most importantly, it's the way we have always done it. Perhaps it's time to rethink our way of doing things in regards to installing something so important to our health, our welfare, our well being and, yes, even our way of life.
When an ice storm deposits ice on the power lines, often, the power is interrupted and people are inconvenienced. Sometimes, the power loss is so widespread that thousands of people have their power cut off. Some for hours, some for days or weeks, depending on the severity of the storm. Because of the rural areas that some people must live in, their power is even harder to restore. Above-ground power is susceptible to many hazards of weather, including high winds, tornadoes, hurricanes and even just the ordinary events of life, such as fallen trees, auto accidents, etc. We, as a people, need to improve and upgrade the supplying of electricity to our communities. One such way is to change over to a system of underground power.
Placing powerlines underground offers many advantages to the potential customer. First, there is greater protection from the elements. This reason alone should be enough to switch to below-ground power, but here are a few more good reasons. Electro-magnetic fields emitted by power lines are effectively shielded by being grounded. Trees don't have to be trimmed regularly to avoid endangering power lines. A citizen's property doesn't have to be given up except for the easement rights needed by the Power Company to install and/or repair the line. The price of lumber will drop because the need for Billions of trees to replace old or damaged poles is gone. Think about that one! In your city or town alone, there are thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of poles. That's a whole forest of trees. Birds by the thousands that are killed annually by electrocution will be saved. The landscape of our beautiful country will be enhanced by the absence of power poles. These are some of the many reasons why we should switch.
One example of a community using underground powerlines is a big one. Disneyworld, near Orlando, Florida, uses below-ground powerlines. There have been many times when they were the only community with active power. I recall, some time ago, there was a hurricane that shut down much of the power grid in Florida. Disneyworld, however, was not affected.
The high cost of installation would soon pay for itself when future storms and other causes cease to be a problem to the consumer. Also, other utilities would likely benefit by this installation. Cable installations come to mind as do future fibreoptic lines. Also, futuristic visions of superconducter powerlines would find a better environment underground. A further futuristic thought might be that an underground power grid would probably be more resistant to an EMP(Electro-Magnetic Pulse). I couldn't say, but the thought is worth investigating, wouldn't you say?
Let us consider these facts and any others that we may discover before we dismiss the idea out of hand. Our country's future and, indeed, the future of our children may depend on a much more reliable system of power delivery. The world is changing at a faster rate than ever before and shows no sign of slowing down. The thing to do is to stay ahead of the curve and prepare for the Millenium to come with foresight and wise planning.
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