Hi Mike
On (27 Jan 98) MIKE ROSS wrote to Alec Cameron...
 MR> I don't disagree that massive generation far away can be cheaper but it
 MR> is undeniably more vulnerable. Boy, did we ever just learn it the hard
 MR> way! 
Your recent experience, will save future lives. Every disaster is an
opportunity. People learn how to live rough, work with neighbours, insulate
houses better- so many of the HOMEPOWER features.
 MR> It is utter devastation in the power grid. Miles and miles of downed
 MR> lines.
Once a tower [or wood pole] falls, the adjacent one is overloaded: loss of
tension on one side, excess tension on the other side. A kind of domino
effect. So the neighbour falls, then the next and so on. Most towers are
designed for suspension duty, the strain towers [those fat ones, broad at
base] tend to be placed at route "corners" ie where the route turns. The
strain tower is proportioned to resist the overturning force that results 
rom
broken conductors.
                           
All towers COULD be built as strain structures but the visual impact would
raise objection.
 The linesmen who
 MR> came up from the USA all said they've never ever seen anything like it.
Well...... USA is nearer the equator than Canada huh? so what could they 
now.
Especially the crews from Hawaii!
 MR>  Perhaps too much automation makes
 MR> everyone complacent and forget how to react to situations which can
 MR> arise.
eg Pacific North East Blackout. Some good lessons forgotten?  Like
* airliners circling blacked our airports
* substations controllers in the dark, because switchboard indicating lamps
  were AC not DC fed.
* Highways choked with autos out of gas, because gas stations could not pump
  gas manually.
Cheers....ALEC
... ........The hasty and the slow meet at the ferry
--- PPoint 1.92
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