It seems kind of primitive to have power lines just hanging on poles, right?

Bit unsightly too

Is it just a cost issue and is it actually significant when considering the cost of power loss on society (work, hospital, food, etc)?

  • roofuskit@lemmy.worldEnglish
    41·
    1 day ago

    I mean there’s a cost per mile to lay cable underground, and that cost per customer goes down when the population density is higher, which it is in all of Europe compared to the US.

      • roofuskit@lemmy.worldEnglish
        71·
        1 day ago

        In certain areas. But most of the us has a rather low density. You don’t see above ground lines in most US cities.

        • lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de
          1·
          23 hours ago

          I really don’t understand that argument. So is most of the US not connected to the sewers? Since these are also dug underground. If you already dig trenches for the sewer system, then you can also place electricity lines for relatively cheap. Though that was not done in the US and retrofitting is a big cost, usually only done, when you need to dig either way (e.g. for modernizing the sewer system). So its more about the default and if a country can take the opportunity when sewers get modernized

          • sorghum@sh.itjust.works
            2·
            18 hours ago

            Yeah, there’s quite a bit of residential on septic tanks here. Incorporated towns is usually the line where public sewer exists. Before you ask, not every home here is on municipal water either nor natural gas. I remember a family growing up that got water deliveries for their cistern if their well ever ran dry. My childhood home had a giant propane tank for our gas appliances and a septic tank system because we lived on the other side of an interstate highway even though we lived “within the city limits”. I remember dad always saying it was difficult for the utilities to bore under the interstate to get the handful of homes (maybe 50 of us?) in the city limits on the other side. More homes in the USA have access to power than municipal water, moreso than natural gas, and much moreso than public sewer. Like I said elsewhere, we are really spread out. This guy really puts it into perspective

            • lime!@feddit.nu
              1·
              1 hour ago

              my family’s house is in a village of around seven households. we have our own well and septic tank. power lines are still underground.

            • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              12 hours ago

              This is literally what we do in the Netherlands though. There’s a bigger and bigger push to group underground works from multiple parties to reduce cost and nuisance