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You wouldn't necessarily have to do the entire state but rather start doing this in high-risk places first.
by dmlittle 7y ago
You wouldn't necessarily have to do the entire state but rather start doing this in high-risk places first.
- misterprime 7y agoGood point. Is it also true that high risk places (forest/rural) are probably cheaper and easier to install underground than low risk places (urban)?
- dredmorbius 7y agoA lot of long-distance, high-voltage transmission crosses what's effectively wilderness. You've got issues of unstable slopes, earthquake faults, flooding, and ground-current losses (a big problem with undergrounded power). And that's before you look at getting crews in place. Then there's the question of monitoring, servicing, and repair after undergrounding. It's definitely an option. But not a cheap or universally applicable one.
- el_benhameen 7y agoNot sure about that. The high risk places are also often in remote, rugged terrain. What you save by not having to disrupt other infrastructure you might end up spending just to get people and equipment to where they need to be. Interesting perspective here: https://www.wsj.com/graphics/california-wildfire-pge-drought/?mod=article_inline&mod=hp_lead_pos5 https://www.wsj.com/graphics/california-wildfire-pge-drought...