Power search

BC Hydro is the main electric distributor in British Columbia and as its name indicates puts the waterways to good use, to energize the residents. Now, personally I have no objection against hydroelectric power. But it comes with a serious flaw, power surges. How so? Well let me enlighten you.  Lets for arguments sake assume that the current that BC Hydro delivers in my meter box is generated with the help of a Canadian river. Like the Columbia River. Indeed, the river where the Americans get the leftovers from. Standing on its shore and looking over the water it is obvious that the volume of water that passes is not the same all the time. Far from it I dare say. But the engineers of BC Hydro have found a clever way to deal with this inconvenience. A dam. No you Dutchies, not A'dam. In case of the Columbia river it is the Revelstoke dam that harnesses the bulk of water coming from the Columbia River. Only a trickle of water is allowed to pass to meet the craving for energy of a city like Vancouver. However, even a trickle consists of waves and troughs. And there you have it. The perfect breeding ground for power-surges. The turbine wheel will spin leisurely when subjected to a trough in the water supply. But you better run for cover when a wave is approaching, spinning the turbine wheel almost out of control and thus causing a surge in power. Great for white water rafting or canoeing, but evidently less so for the electric equipment in a residential dwelling. It is therefor of the utmost importance to deal with the aftermath of a power surge without delay to prevent the economy from grinding to a halt. In reality though it can take quite some time to get things sorted after a power surge has occurred. Not all that surprising as I found out recently. BC Hydro likes to uphold an image of being a 'green company'. And rather than having their power cables woven from kelp, BC Hydro decided to decorate the local distribution points. Who can object to that idea? Well, I can. To support my argument I collected a few samples of the 'fruits of enthusiastic decorator's labor'. I rest my case. 

 

 

 

Cannot see the problem? Let me explain. Whenever a power-surge occurs, BC Hydro engineers jump in their cars and rush to the affected neighborhoods. And there they run into serious problems. The decorators have done such a good job that the distribution points blend perfectly in with the surrounding flora. BC Hydro engineers can often be seen driving frantically through the neighborhood in search for a particular distribution point. Locating that particular one can thus become a lengthy quest. But, there is a silver lining even to this cloud. BC Hydro's state of bewilderment after a power surge has provided 'Post Canada', with a valuable lesson. Rather than having their mailboxes blend in with the surrounding flora, 'Post Canada' have chosen to make them stick out like a sore thumb. No searching required here. Neither for the residents who want to post their mail, nor for the Canadian postman who empties the mailboxes. A word of advice to the boys and girls from BC Hydro is in its place I think. 'When going green, make sure that the distribution points can still be seen'. Thus preventing a 'power-surge' from turning into a 'power-search...'