5 ms·
I thought power lines, in contact with the dirt, can make the ground electrocutive.
by devwastaken 9y ago
I thought power lines, in contact with the dirt, can make the ground electrocutive.
- WJW 9y agoPerhaps I don't understand what you mean by electrocutive, not being a native English speaker and all, but in my home country of the Netherlands over 90% of power lines have been underground since the 50s without any ill effects...
- k-mcgrady 9y agoInsulate them?
- verall 9y agoThe cost of insulating a 765kV power line is prohibitively high. Although in the modern day it might make sense to move more low voltage power lines underground than did previously.
- astrodust 9y agoPlus unless that insulation is made of something we haven't invented yet it's bound to flake and peel off in time.
- trentmb 9y agoDowned power lines, yes.
- benzofuran 9y agoIt creates a voltage gradient radiating out from the contact point. A gradient of more than 15VAC/m is generally bad news. The resistance can be enough to prevent automatic circuit protections from tripping as well if there's not a high current, such as dry high-resistance soil.