Thread: Bipartisan Bill Seeks To Make Puerto Rico The 51st U.S. State

Do you have underground power lines where you live or do you have above ground power lines?

Puerto Rico power lines were ALREADY falling over before the hurricane.

The company was millions in debt and misappropriated funds.

I do NOT want to pay for their entire electrical grid!

Do not reward a CORRUPT country!

Let business invest and get the corrupt government OUT!

No 51st State...cut them loose.

Originally Posted by Beezer

Puerto Rico power lines were ALREADY falling over before the hurricane.

The company was millions in debt and misappropriated funds.

I do NOT want to pay for their entire electrical grid!

Do not reward a CORRUPT country!

Let business invest and get the corrupt government OUT!

No 51st State...cut them loose.

Oh no, we won't pay for it, investors will need to pay for it.

Originally Posted by Judy

Do you have underground power lines where you live or do you have above ground power lines?

I've had power on the poles everywhere I have lived! Where I am now, in the desert, we get high winds. But the only time they go down is when a car hits one by the highway. Some high-end communities want underground for looks.

It is like subways versus surface rails. The subway is about three times the cost.

Another advantage of the poles is that utilities share them. They had telephone lines in addition to powerlines. Then later the cable TV came to town and added their cables to the poles. Where they have underground, they have to dig a separate trench for each service. And when there is a break or short, it is costly to dig up the cable to find the problem. With poles, they can fly a helicopter over to visually inspect for a problem.

Another factor is the power transformers put out heat. On a pole they cool. But in an underground vault they often overheat, especially on hot days.

There is an upside and downside to almost everything.

My section of town where I live is all underground and it's so wonderful.

Undergrounding is more expensive, since the cost of burying cables at transmission voltages is several times greater than overhead power lines, and the life-cycle cost of an underground power cable is two to four times the cost of an overhead power line.
Undergrounding - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undergrounding

Oh that's sad, California can't afford the nice underground power lines.

Originally Posted by Judy

You get what you pay for, huh?

And to rebuild Puerto Rico, stringing overhead is fast and cheap. Are they in a position to wait years to install an underground system that will cost maybe 4 times as much?

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh that's sad, California can't afford the nice underground power lines.

I bet they do in Silicon Valley. And if you listen to Jerry Brown, California is doing great!

Originally Posted by Judy

Do you have underground power lines where you live or do you have above ground power lines?

Most areas are above ground. Very unattractive. Some wealthy individuals and businesses have their utility lines underground. Nicer neighborhoods are underground. Easier to do in planning. Visitors and residents have commented how ugly the power lines are in the city. The city had considered burying more lines in the entry areas to the city but choose the big brother smart metering with the handouts from Obama.

As jtdc points out it is easier for other services to use the lines without digging up the ground. Definitely cheaper.