This journey traces our electrical power to its source – in three parts.
Sandy and I often walk under two of these reclosure arrays in an area two blocks away from home known locally as “Doggie Triangle!” Two miles away, the three conductors emerge from a small sub-station, as seen below.
The next Part follows the link another 25 miles or so to the massive Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, the source, …where electricity is generated from the heat released from Uranium 235 fission.
Disclaimer: Not being an electrical engineer or public utility employee, some values and circumstances may be slightly different than stated, but should give a general idea of the actual grid. Any system or statistical corrections will be most appreciated.
As usual, thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M:-)
Lianne: The nearly 100% electrification in a country like the US evolved over many years, but is only a little bit more sophisticated today. A fellow poster sent me images a rural Indonesia – a small village just being electrified now – but it’s design essencially unchanged in principal for well over a century. We just take it so much for granted here, but in so much of the world, like rural Malawi of course, the wonder of it all has yet to come. M 🙂
PS, I thouroughly enjoy your post…. m
This is a fascinating series that I am thoroughly enjoying. I don’t usually think much about electricity, except when the power goes out during a storm. In my neighborhood, the powerlines are underground, so I am not confronted daily with many of the wires that you feature.
Sorta same question raised by another, to which i replied to her: “A small bird sitting on a wire, even bare, does not close a circuit. The current needs to flow thru an object, be it a complete circuit, a bird, a person, what-ever. If the bird comes in contact with another wire at the same time, or the ground, Puff! Large birds or small animals often do just that, touching two wires at the same time in which they become a conductor,. Not good.”
I enjoyed each line of that.
And when the electricity guys are done, please send them across to Malawi! 😉 Hope it gets fixed!
Lianne: The nearly 100% electrification in a country like the US evolved over many years, but is only a little bit more sophisticated today. A fellow poster sent me images a rural Indonesia – a small village just being electrified now – but it’s design essencially unchanged in principal for well over a century. We just take it so much for granted here, but in so much of the world, like rural Malawi of course, the wonder of it all has yet to come. M 🙂
PS, I thouroughly enjoy your post…. m
This is a fascinating series that I am thoroughly enjoying. I don’t usually think much about electricity, except when the power goes out during a storm. In my neighborhood, the powerlines are underground, so I am not confronted daily with many of the wires that you feature.
Thanks Mike. We certainly take it all for granted.
Too bad about the squirrels. What about birds?
Sorta same question raised by another, to which i replied to her: “A small bird sitting on a wire, even bare, does not close a circuit. The current needs to flow thru an object, be it a complete circuit, a bird, a person, what-ever. If the bird comes in contact with another wire at the same time, or the ground, Puff! Large birds or small animals often do just that, touching two wires at the same time in which they become a conductor,. Not good.”