One of the video clips I saw from Hurricane Isabel appeared to be downed
power lines caught in trees and fluttering in the breeze while sparking and
crackling. Aside from the potential dangers of electrocution and possibly
fire (?), the devastating effects of broken lines are shown through at least
three utility workers who have been fatally electrocuted while undertaking
repairs. Similarly, in Puerto Rico in 1989, five of the nine fatalities
attributed to Hurricane Hugo there were electrocutions which occurred while
repairing downed power lines.
Why do authorities not shut down the power grid as a hurricane approaches
and refuse to turn it on until repairs are complete? If the grid is not
designed to be flicked on and off--perhaps a few times a year--why not?
Hospitals, emergency operations centres, and emergency services (should)
have their own power supplies. If they know that protocols for a hurricane
include shutting down the main grid, they will (hopefully) prepare for it.
Similarly, people routinely board up windows and evacuate for hurricanes, so
if it were standard procedure, they could just as routinely prepare for no
power. In fact, the hope is that they would be better educated (e.g. don't
use generators in confined spaces, which has led to numerous Isabel-related
fatalities, and monitor for candle fires) because it would happen more
frequently and people would know that power would definitely be out rather
than being vaguely prepared on the off-chance that power might be cut.
Simple procedure: 12 or 24 hours before landfall, which can be predicted
reasonably well, turn the power off. Then, take 24-72 hours after the
hurricane has passed to repair damage before turning the power back on.
People, many of whom would have been evacuated anyway, would be without
power for 3-5 days. Not bad once you get used to it and if you have
prepared adequately.
For example, according to the BBC, for Hurricane Michelle in Cuba in 2001:
"Electricity in the capital has been cut off to avoid accidents with falling
power cables" ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1637584.stm ). Cuba's
energy supply system presumably has differences to the U.S.A.'s, but, in
principle, deliberately turning the lights out could work. Are there
examples from other locations?
An immediate technical issue to consider is whether or not adequate testing
of the repaired system could occur with the power off. But surely that must
occur frequently and it could not be particularly difficult to work
something out. Certainly worth a few lives.
As well, considering the megaprojects which currently supply most developed
world energy, such as nuclear power plants and fossil fuel fired plants,
shutting them down and starting them up takes time. Yet shutting them down
quickly could not cause that much of a problem. Witness what happened
during the blackout in August in eastern North America and the systems which
Japan uses to automatically shut down plants when a major earthquake is
detected. Regarding start up, if it takes a day or two to get them
operating at full capacity, then we should wait. Or improve their design to
start up more rapidly.
Perhaps the challenges involved are greater than I suggest. If so, I would
ask again: if the procedure which I outline is not as simple as I think,
why have we not designed and built our energy system to make it that simple?
Ilan
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