Hurricane Sandy: lessons about power
Temlakos~POTL~PWCM~JLA~☆
2012/11/12 18:44:17
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Not government power (or at least, not all about that). Electric power. Which some of my neighbors still don't have back, and it's been two weeks.
Part of it is that we have the worst utility company I've ever paid bills to, and I've moved around a lot. But the other part is the "natural monopoly syndrome": the idea that you can't have, or even risk, duplicate electric power lines, because that's wasteful and inefficient. First, any duplication of power lines would not be wasteful. It would be redundant, sure. But redundancy is a good thing. Like insurance.
And second, even the bare possibility would galvanize these companies to get people hooked up fast, before they decided to unhook and go to somebody else.
What else are they going to do? Pull the franchise? Sure, and the next company might do things just as poorly. Create yet another division of government? Sometimes that works. More often, it doesn't.
If you really want to solve the problem, eliminate these "natural monopoly" laws and let more than one company compete to distribute electric power to you. "Competition" in power generation isn't enough. We're talking about distribution. Until power companies compete in that, communities will still be vulnerable to more Hurricanes Sandy, and even to sabotage.
Part of it is that we have the worst utility company I've ever paid bills to, and I've moved around a lot. But the other part is the "natural monopoly syndrome": the idea that you can't have, or even risk, duplicate electric power lines, because that's wasteful and inefficient. First, any duplication of power lines would not be wasteful. It would be redundant, sure. But redundancy is a good thing. Like insurance.
And second, even the bare possibility would galvanize these companies to get people hooked up fast, before they decided to unhook and go to somebody else.
What else are they going to do? Pull the franchise? Sure, and the next company might do things just as poorly. Create yet another division of government? Sometimes that works. More often, it doesn't.
If you really want to solve the problem, eliminate these "natural monopoly" laws and let more than one company compete to distribute electric power to you. "Competition" in power generation isn't enough. We're talking about distribution. Until power companies compete in that, communities will still be vulnerable to more Hurricanes Sandy, and even to sabotage.
Read More: http://www.conservativenewsandviews.com/2012/11/12...
Top Opinion
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Catch224u 2012/11/13 00:31:08Electric power companies should compete to hook up to your home or business.
+6I lost interest when Sea Side NJ turned away help from a power Co. from Decatur Al. because they were not Union. I also saw today on the news that an electrician needs to check the house and a volunteer fireman has to check the house before power can be turned back on. Is this the red tape obama was talking of cutting?
The electric utilities have contingency plans and those plans were in place, with thousands of electric workers brought in from all over the country to try to get the power back on. Such work does not happen overnight. Debris has to be cleared from the roads and the power lines, new poles and lines have to be installed, transformers replaced and damages assessed. Safety for all, workers included, has to be considered.
Two weeks is not out of line. When Hurricane Charlie hit the west coast of Florida, some people were out of power for longer than that. That was comparatively a small storm that affected a much smaller population. A relative went 17 days without power.
Those who are so ignorant that they think such work happens overnight are screaming, and I understand their pain, but the progress of the work nothing to do with monopolies, inefficiencies, poor planning or competition.
The ignorance of how things work in today's society is appalling.
How about we get government to move faster and reduce red tape that delays and slows recovery. In many cases you cannot get power restored because debris has not been removed or permission to erect new lines. Also FEMMA required all homes be inspected before the power is restored. Reduce or put a significant limit on liability for rushing power to users. If homeowners want to assume the risk of rushing to get power then they can assume the financial risk.
Even with ERCOT, we were without power for 22 days after Hurricane Alicia. When power lines snap and poles tumble , it doesn't matter who the supplier is. One problem is utility trucks must have a clear path . They usually have to wait for roads to be cleared from downed trees and other debris. That can take a week or more, depending on the area. People trying to help often make matters worse.
I realize NJ and NYC are not accustomed to hurricanes. Those of us who live along the Gulf Coast can tell you. The hurricane is the event... it's the long recovery period ... months to years... that fray your nerves. It's natural that people want to point fingers of blame. But the Red Cross is there. Utility trucks are working around the clock, working in shifts. Volunteers from across the country step up. And yes, FEMA, which works in tandem with the Red Cross and the city/state government. Understand that nothing will be the same for a very long time.
We just know the public will get shafted.
And the nations power supplies will fail completely.
Remember Enron.
But every community SHOULD put all the power lines underground. THat saves a fortune in replacements and leads to WAY less loss of power during all kinds of storms,.
Wouldn't take long and would save a fortune.
Small wind generators might work for you. I see them on some small ships at the Marina. They are too noisy for everyday use but in a emergency no one would care.
PV panels bolted to the roof, the most common setup in California, average a 17 year payoff on capitol cost in energy savings but we don't have snow to cover them or overcast skies very often. Expected life of about 20 years before panels need replacement.
Most have it set up so the power generated goes through the meter onto the grid, causing their meter to run backwards./ If they need more than they generate they draw in the extra needed off the grid and the meter turns normally.
Some people have the power charge batteries, which they draw off when the sun goes down for the fridge, microwave and TV. Golf cart batteries do a decent job.
There's more to the cost of a home improvement than cost of installation. There's cost of operation.