4 ms·

Power lines are awful. They are an eyesore that destroys an otherwise beautiful landscape. I hope we can start putting these underground soon.

hnarn 9y ago
In most of northern Europe, above-land powerlines are considered "old school" and are eliminated to whatever extent possible. Not only does it look bad (not a great business case), they're also vulnerable to the elements, especially in extreme cases with storms causing trees to fall on them. In most cases, you can only see them in rural areas, where the cost of burying them does not make sense.
- sarah180 9y ago
  Sonoma and Napa counties in California recently burned. The official causes are not determined yet, and the litigation has barely started, but there is some evidence that this was caused by improper maintenance of above-ground power lines by PG&E—which has (unsurprisingly) vigorously opposed measures to bury or further shield them for years.
crims0n 9y ago
I agree but underground lines are often 2-4 times more expensive than above ground - for that reason alone I don't see them going away in our lifetime.
- MiddleEndian 9y ago
  Many urban areas in the US have them buried. None of the places I've lived in Boston have visible power lines but most of the surrounding areas do. It's nice to not worry about weather being a threat to your electricity even if it's more expensive to maintain under standard circumstances.
- Viper007Bond 9y ago
  100% of new construction where I live in Oregon uses underground power lines. It's easy to do when you're putting in first time infrastructure. Super expensive to do it for existing housing though.
sigio 9y ago
In the area around where I live they are putting up some new major powerlines, and using new modern looking pylons. They are actually quite nice to look at (Images and info at: https://www.hoogspanningsnet.com/mastsoortenclassificatie/bipole-mast/ https://www.hoogspanningsnet.com/mastsoortenclassificatie/bi... ) While within the city's all powerlines have been underground for ages, the connections between remote areas and production and consumption area's are usually above-ground, because it's soo much cheaper.
blattimwind 9y ago
For high voltage distribution they are very efficient and change relatively little about the ecosystem. Moving the same power through the earth is not only more expensive (counter-intuitively, buried power cables must have thicker conductors to carry the increased reactive loading due to the cable itself; and you obviously need insulation; and digging trenches is more expensive than erecting a steel tower every few hundred meters or so), but puts quite a lot of heat into the ground, apart from a lot of digging. [1] (There are actively managed buried cables which are oil or gas filled, but this becomes impractical for longer cables, or extensive networks. It's extremely expensive as well. This technology is mostly used in the catacombs underneath cities, to get 380 or 220 kV to power stations inside [or underneath] cities). Low or medium voltage distribution is a different story and has been buried in most of central Europe for many decades. I don't recall seeing power lines in any city. [1] Just to avoid someone from posting it inevitably: No, HVDC does not solve this.

hnarn 9y ago

In most of northern Europe, above-land powerlines are considered "old school" and are eliminated to whatever extent possible. Not only does it look bad (not a great business case), they're also vulnerable to the elements, especially in extreme cases with storms causing trees to fall on them. In most cases, you can only see them in rural areas, where the cost of burying them does not make sense.

sarah180 9y ago
Sonoma and Napa counties in California recently burned. The official causes are not determined yet, and the litigation has barely started, but there is some evidence that this was caused by improper maintenance of above-ground power lines by PG&E—which has (unsurprisingly) vigorously opposed measures to bury or further shield them for years.

crims0n 9y ago

I agree but underground lines are often 2-4 times more expensive than above ground - for that reason alone I don't see them going away in our lifetime.

MiddleEndian 9y ago
Many urban areas in the US have them buried. None of the places I've lived in Boston have visible power lines but most of the surrounding areas do. It's nice to not worry about weather being a threat to your electricity even if it's more expensive to maintain under standard circumstances.
Viper007Bond 9y ago
100% of new construction where I live in Oregon uses underground power lines. It's easy to do when you're putting in first time infrastructure. Super expensive to do it for existing housing though.

sigio 9y ago

In the area around where I live they are putting up some new major powerlines, and using new modern looking pylons. They are actually quite nice to look at (Images and info at: https://www.hoogspanningsnet.com/mastsoortenclassificatie/bipole-mast/ https://www.hoogspanningsnet.com/mastsoortenclassificatie/bi... ) While within the city's all powerlines have been underground for ages, the connections between remote areas and production and consumption area's are usually above-ground, because it's soo much cheaper.

blattimwind 9y ago

For high voltage distribution they are very efficient and change relatively little about the ecosystem. Moving the same power through the earth is not only more expensive (counter-intuitively, buried power cables must have thicker conductors to carry the increased reactive loading due to the cable itself; and you obviously need insulation; and digging trenches is more expensive than erecting a steel tower every few hundred meters or so), but puts quite a lot of heat into the ground, apart from a lot of digging. [1] (There are actively managed buried cables which are oil or gas filled, but this becomes impractical for longer cables, or extensive networks. It's extremely expensive as well. This technology is mostly used in the catacombs underneath cities, to get 380 or 220 kV to power stations inside [or underneath] cities). Low or medium voltage distribution is a different story and has been buried in most of central Europe for many decades. I don't recall seeing power lines in any city. [1] Just to avoid someone from posting it inevitably: No, HVDC does not solve this.