It was the summer of 2006, and it was as hot as can be in St. Louis, Missouri. As a native of St. Louis, I can bring up this date to anyone, and they will forever remember a week-long span of blistering heat. Temperatures rose over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and nearly everyone was without power. With power outages city-wide, this means no air conditioning, and a lot of angry Ameren UE customers.
The reasoning behind this massive power outage that occurred city-wide was solely based upon the weather. Known as the heat wave of 2006 derecho series, a powerful thunderstorm hit the St. Louis area, that was accompanied by intense winds. These storms hit from July 17th through July 21st, and the damage was devastating (Heat wave of 2006 derecho series).
As to be expected with massive thunderstorms, damage to local transformer(power) stations caused outages around the city, and all around the midwest. It is estimated that nearly 3,000,000 people lost power during these storms.
However, some people were able to keep power, despite the devastation. This is due to the simple fact that these homes had power lines that ran underground, rather then the traditional above-ground lines that are seen everywhere. Naturally, one would ask why wouldn't all power stations be built underground. The answer is simple, money. It is much more expensive to build a power station underground, versus above ground(Underground vs. Overhead). Most americans obtain power from local power stations located within a few miles of their house.
Some would be willing to pay the extra money that it would cost to build a power station underground, while others would not. Would you be willing to pay the extra money that it costs to build a power station underground, just to have reliable power 100% of the time?
Works Cited
Heat wave of 2006 derecho series. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from http://pages.redif.com/heat-wave-of-2006-derecho-series/794476
Underground vs. Overhead: Power Line Installation-Cost Comparison and Mitigation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-18/issue-2/features/underground-vs-overhead-power-line-installation-cost-comparison-.html
A very interesting, well-written post with a good source and proper citations. Do know that underground power lines also have their failings. Frequently when new construction occurs in the area, somebody cuts the power lines! Consider including embedded links and visuals in your future posts. JM
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