Larry Reisinger, P.E.
2011-06-30 09:59:37
Roy has a valid point, but it’s not quite quite as dire as he presents it, because even under the rosiest forecasts, penetration of electrics will only be a couple of percent by 2020. But even with charging occurring primarily at night, the transformers (Roy’s “pole pigs”) won’t have a chance to cool down like they do now, and more will be needed. The utilities are going to have to furnish these, and it will have to be charged to the consumer one way or another. This isn’t that expensive to do on poles, but in neighborhoods where the wires are underground, this could be very expensive.
