You're watching...
Exploring new ways to tackle power outages after Sandy
Details
-
Description
What can utility companies do in the future?
- Duration 2:49
- Date Nov 9, 2012
Advertisement
Clips
Also in this playlist...
Latest News
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance-
War on terror at a crossroads
-
White House investigates, intimidates the press
-
IRS under fire: Few answers from agency, administration
-
Oklahoma citizens remain resilient
-
Trace Adkins talks Red Cross
-
Former WH secretary Mike McCurry graduates from seminary
-
Jodi Arias: Justice delayed or justice denied?
-
Should the IRS be trusted with Obamacare?
-
Critics question union influence amid IRS scandal
-
IRS scandal fueling new calls for flat tax
-
Unions backing away from ObamaCare?
-
Government jobs as certain as death and taxes?
Transcript
This transcript is automatically generated
Utility companies struggle to get ahead of massive power outages here in the northeast some are also investing in new technology that will.
They hope get the lights back on faster in the -- -- -- help can't come soon enough for the victims of sandy in this week's nor'easter.
They ran out of poles believe it or not.
They ran out of polls.
How can you run out of polls.
-- and it -- and then we have utility companies.
Competing with each other.
To find the polls.
That's New York governor Andrew Cuomo and he is not happy.
Gregory reed is director of the power and energy initiative at the University of Pittsburgh Gregory you know I'm.
Fortunate I live close to the Hudson River in a fairly new development.
And although the river came up and almost swamped our place it.
Didn't do any damage in the lights even stayed on I think because you know we have underground utility -- -- buried underground is that.
The solution.
That's part of the solution John absolutely.
In order to make our our grid infrastructure more resilient we we have to start to look at.
Design options that.
Provide more underground capabilities and and also the implementation of of new technologies that.
Make underground infrastructure.
Not only more affordable but.
More operationally efficient as well.
Well some say it is better to spend money on this above ground you know process on on some of these Smart developments rather than burying the lines which can cost obviously billions of dollars.
Well I think we need to look at it strategically it certainly it does cost more.
To go underground and we have to start to look at the cost benefit justification strategically in certain areas where we're -- make sense to do so.
One of the things that we see every time we have these.
Massive outages due to storms or other events is that it does come with an economic impact if you look it.
The impact right now of sandy and I've seen estimates -- New York alone and that -- -- up to over 33 billion dollars so you begin to aggregate that with -- and Katrina and other events.
Over the years.
In the billions start to add up so when you start to look at that upfront costs associated with -- Hardening and improving the resiliency of our power infrastructure in with new technologies.
If it's really becomes a question of spending -- up front to avoid the inconveniences.
Of these outages.
Vs spending on the back and with all the restoration efforts that we have going on right now.
-- well I'll tell you what there are a lot of people on Staten Island parts of New Jersey parts of Long Island that would like to see you know some of those improvements tomorrow.
Gregory reed -- you to join us thank you.
Thank you you're welcome my pleasure.
