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from cellphones, WiFi systems or smart meters. Noting that
hypervigilance on health questions has long been typical
of Bay Area residents, Ms Barringer wrote that the two most
recent government reviews of available research found
no link between health problems and common levels of
electromagnetic radiation. “Both reports indicated that
more research would be welcome,” she wrote. “On that basis,
opponents say the meters should not be installed until they
are proved safe.”
As to privacy, Edison Electric Institute, the Washington-based
❈
❈
association that represents some 70 per cent of the US electric
power industry, has tried to allay concerns. David K Owens,
the executive vice-president for business operations at EEI,
said: “We’ve always gotten information about customers’
usage and always kept it confidential.” But those who believe
their electricity consumption to be highly sensitive personal
information are not easily reassured. A woman arrested
for blocking the driveway of a dispatch centre for meter
installation, near Santa Rosa, told Ms Barringer: “It’s not all
about saving money. It’s about control.” A more emphatic
chargewas levelled against smartmeters at a Januarymeeting
of the North Bay Patriots, a local Tea Party affiliate. The devices
are, according to one man present, “the sharp end of a very
long spear pointed at your freedoms.”
The controversy holds some interest for the wire and cable
❈
❈
industry. Jeff Smith, a spokesman for PG&E, said the utility
was studying a hard-wire option for its electric meters.
A snail’s pace but an eagle eye:
update on robotic power-line inspection
Some time back, this column reported on a prototype of a robot
that checks transmission lines for problems – a hazardous and
time-consuming job for workers and an expensive one for utilities.
Developed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), of Palo
Alto, California, a non-profit utility consortium, the robot hangs
from power lines and crawls a few miles a day, looking for flaws.
More precisely, according to Matthew L Wald of the
New York
Times
, the robot rides on a transmission-line shield wire, which is
a plain metal wire that hangs above the conductors to intercept
lightning bolts.
The fuller information provided by the
Times
’s “Green” blogger
suggests that Ti (for Transmission Inspection) may be on its way
to shedding novelty status for a place in the energy industry’s
kit of indispensable aids. (“Move Over, WALL-E: Puttering Along
Power Lines,” 12
th
January).