Why Aren't Powergrids Underground?

jonging asks: "It is common knowledge that an underground power grid is less susceptible to the effect of a large thunderstorm. The American Transmission Company cites numerous reasons why it (and other power companies I assume) do not bury their transmission lines underground (e.g. environmental concerns, cost of installation and repair, etc.). Exactly how detrimental are underground transmission lines to the environment? Wouldn't the time spent without a power outage generate more than enough revenue to offset initial costs? Aren't the need for repairs in cities with successful underground power grids rare?" The linked article goes into extensive detail about the disadvantages in initial costs of putting in underground lines, but doesn't go into any detail about the maintenance costs of either option. With storms getting worse and worse (Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia have weathered torrential downfalls this week), might underground lines prove more resistant to storm-related power outages?

Comments

Re:DC

[Minwee]

"In about 10 months of running monitoring 24/7 on our UPS, I've never seen a major "power event" (outage, surge, something else big)"

If William of Ockham were here he would point out the obvious conclusion: The monitoring on your UPS doesn't work.

Re:Simple physics

[dex22]

The answer to this is simple. Instead of running both wires from the power station to the customer, run one each way. As one cable is now reversed, the current will now not be in opposition. As you know, the opposite of destructive interference is constructive interference. You could get twice as much power out of that line as you put in!

Another answer is to move the users closer to the power stations! We should make the stations smaller and have more of them. What if every transmission pole was a power station? We should put a solar panel on top of every pole, and if we spin it around at 60 RPMs, voila! A/C!

Induction

[ValentineMSmith]

Just think, if they buried them, we'd be able to run a loop of copper around them. Free power for life, or at least until the power company noticed an odd drop in the current on my run.

Well, I can dream.

backhoe fade

[TubeSteak]

Reminds me of this thread
The Backhoe, The Internet's Natural Enemy

Always carry a length of fiber-optic cable in your pocket. Should you be shipwrecked and find yourself stranded on a desert island, bury the cable in the sand. A few hours later, a guy driving a backhoe will be along to dig it up. Ask him to rescue you.

Re: shared costs

[Nefarious Wheel]

in germany, the town gets together, find out all who need to be involved, and then lay down one large pipe --

I presume that the Germans, because of the constraints of their language's syntax at the end of which their sentences most of their verbs must put, cultural constraints that ahead they must think required are.