power to the internet

Sat Jan 4 10:54:18 UTC 2020

* John Levine:

> In article <87y2up1vc4.fsf at mid.deneb.enyo.de> you write:
>>I found the connection rather puzzling (that is, how switching off
>>power distribution prevents wildfires or at least reduces their risk).
>>I found some explanations here (downed lines, vegetation contact,
>>conductor slap, repetitive faults, apparatus failures):
>>
>><https://wildfiremitigation.tees.tamus.edu/faqs/how-power-lines-cause-wildfires>
>
> Oh, you're in Europe.  You wouldn't believe how cruddy US power
> distribution systems are.  California is particularly bad becuase the
> populist state regulator has keep retail prices low at the cost of
> reliability, safety, and everything else.
>
> Also keep in mind that California has conditions seen nowhere in
> Europe: bone dry forests with 40C temperaturees and 100Kph winds,
> and a power company too underfunded to keep up with tree trimming.

I think Greece also suffered a major wildfire in the 2018 that was
initiated by a faulty power line.  In Germany, we have some vegetation
issues on train lines partially due to insufficient maintenance, but
they fortunately don't trigger wildfires, only train outages.

I guess most countries struggle to maintain basic infrastructure.