by. Julia Roberts G. Rocapor
When we say undergrounding, it is the alternative way of over ground electrical system that is common in most areas. This is where you place electrical wiring for telecommunications and electricity underground since there are more advantages in doing it so. Since electricity is essential to mankind, it is important to have a proper electrical system placement. Considering in the Philippines, we use over ground electrical system since undergrounding requires much more work and budget as stated by the government. Here, you can see electrical poles everywhere, and wirings of transmission are always not in proper state that’s why maintenance work is common every week. Japan is one of the countries that uses both overhead and underground electrical system in some of their prefecture. Since the Philippines now have over ground electrical system, it is hard to approve undergrounding. Researches and other things are in line if the government are considering undergrounding. But what things do the government need to consider when deciding how to place electrical system in their country? The process and the budget? What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing underground electrical system?
One of the advantages is it is much safer than the overhead electrical system. [1] If you put electrical wires underground, it is not exposed in more dangerous things such as weather and other environmental issues. Instead of having electrical poles, we can utilize the space with more trees and sidewalks. Also, overhead electrical wire system can be easily damage because it can’t withstand strong winds and other calamities unlike underground who have cheaper maintenance work. The probability of maintaining undergrounding is low since it is not exposed with too much danger. It is hidden from all the things that can harm the wiring. For example, the problems with overhead electrical system is the same as the houses in other countries that only uses wood as their building material. It can’t withstand natural calamities that’s why it is more exposed in putting the house in danger.
The disadvantages of underground electrical system are the long installation process. [2] It requires much more time since it is underground, digging and burying the wiring can last for years for example here in the Philippines. Although the probability of maintenance work in undergrounding is low, it is hard to repair it since it is underground. Also, underground electrical system is much more exposed in water, if the installation has an error there is more chances that if there’s a problem with the drainage system, it can also damage the electrical system.
The reliability and feasibility of underground electrical system can also be a factor of the advantages and disadvantages. One of the many factors is how can you replace overhead electrical system with undergrounding considering first is its budget. Undergrounding is much more expensive since there are more materials need to be use in implementing undergrounding. This includes the road construction after placing electrical transmissions underground. [3] Second is the stability of the soil if it won’t damage the underground electrical system. Burying electrical transmissions also needs to have a strong overhead soil in order to not have any problem of caving in of rock materials in the electrical transmission. As long as there are benefits with undergrounding, it also compensates with many disadvantages that contradicts the opposing idea.
Undergrounding can make our surroundings tidier and neater. Here in the Philippines, we can’t look directly at the sky because there are cable transmissions everywhere. The advantages of putting cable transmissions underground can equal to having more convenience for us since it is less harmful. However, if we think practically, changing overhead to underground requires a lot more money, time, and effort to make it happen especially here in the Philippines that we now have overhead electrical system. Innovations like this can upgrade our lives into much better and have more convenience with everything. In terms of the present time, I prefer that we need to consider the disadvantages since knowing in the Philippines, it may take years of construction before making it work. Also, there are also factors that will affect this project especially the road construction and traffic. Modern problems require modern solution but a system like this? It can result to modern problems that doesn’t have any solution.
References
[1] C. Smith, “The pros and cons of an underground electrical system”
[2] https://www.dfliq.net/blog/underground-electrical-transmission-cables-basics/
[3] P. Kenter, “Power underground: how burying electrical utilities can impact road budgets”
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