Disclaimer: I am no expert, but I do enjoy articles about energy and alternative energy.

2 thoughts:

1. PSE&G will most likely balk at burying lines now that they just installed all those solar panels on power poles all over the state. The cost of which was passed on to the consumer. You would think it would be cheaper with all this solar power instantly available in the grid. One of the major expenses with solar farms is delivering the power to where it needs to be.

2. My ridiculous building (built in 2006) has a power pole outside, whereby the power then runs down the pole and enters the building underground. Our underground transformer survived Sandy, but eventually "crapped out" (technical term) after the last snow storm; it must have been weakened by Sandy.

It would have to be difficult to install underground utilities to many of the "historic" buildings in JC.

Quote:

Very good paragraph:

"Yet there are also other options, the EIA notes, from hardening above-ground infrastructure at crucial junctures to ?vegetation management? to smart grid technology that reroutes power when lines go down. Burying power lines isn?t the only way to respond to a storm ? and often it?s not even the most effective strategy."

JC needs a strategy.

Regarding the aesthetics...unfortunately more trees are being removed than planted these days. Certain spots like the southeastern corner of Mercer and barrow, and the stretch of York between Grove and Marin, look very barren of greenery and therefore the wires are very apparent.

Here is a great article on the subject in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/w ... es-dont-bury-power-lines/

I don't know why Mercer street has some of its line buried and I do know the cost to do this is exorbitant. However, in the aftermath of Sandy the lines had damage and the crews did not have a map on them of the buried system so they did not get power restored until 2 weeks after their neighbors with above ground lines did.

The BPU (Board of Public Utilities) just put out their findings for Irene. They just published their findings in January and I am still making my way through the 68 page document now. Some of the recommendations include having disaster responses that include 75% of their customers having power outages and web sites for municipalities to view the real time power outages and restoration process.

They should be holding public hearings shortly on Sandy that I imagine will include even more recommendations. Our whole system is tied together and I would like to see an administration that is more forward thinking and proactive when it comes to the flooding in Bergen/Lafayette and downtown. I would also like to see what can be done about surge protection for Country Village.

However, I think burying the lines is what municipalities do in areas where heavy winds and a lot of trees regularly take out power lines, not areas prone to flooding. When the power lines were first put up in Jersey City, people found them so ugly that they planted what would become huge trees underneath them with the idea that the branches and foliage would grow up around them and hide the lines.

Not too many people in Jersey understand the concept of "making sense". Like canceling the 2nd tunnel into Manhattan.

The overhead power lines were removed on Mercer street a year ago or so, correct? Does anybody know what sparked that? The streetscape looks so much more pleasant as a result.

How about starting simply with asking PS&G a few questions:

- What went wrong during Sandy and how do they propose to fix it?
- What can the City do to help make that happen?
- What can the City require in new developments, that would benefit the overall grid and backup power generation?

There's probably a lot that can be done to improve the grid and make it "smarter" without ripping up streets to lay cable.

It would probably make sense to coordinate upgrading the sewer system, water pipes and burying utilities at the same time. But these are all hugely expensive projects and no one is going to be interested in paying for it -- taxpayers, corporations, ratepayers -- even if the long term cost is worth it.

Then another flood comes and shorts out the system.

I just read an article in the WSJ on how Mayor Bloomberg is considering burying more power lines in the outer boroughs to prevent problems should another superstorm come through. Outside of Staten Island, I thought that most power lines were already buried. Manhattan has all power lines buried, and most of Brooklyn and Queens as well.

JC has all power lines above ground. Would it make sense to consider burying them, or is it too massive of a cost? One thing is for sure - they are absolutely hideous!