One of my favorite moments in electric transmission history involves a 1966 initiative by our friends at the Edison Electric Institute to commission one of the "preeminent industrial design firms" of the day to design a number of "aesthetic" high voltage transmission structures that would "be universally acceptable to the industry and the public." You can read all about this stunning moment in electric transmission history in a research paper published in 1997 (Levy, Eugene. “The Aesthetics of Power: High-voltage Transmission Systems and the American Landscape”. Technology and Culture 38.3 (1997): 575–607.) You can read this paper free online at jstor.org (requires sign-up for free membership). The paper reviews a whole bunch of mid-century utility efforts to make electric transmission towers prettier and thus more acceptable to a public who was increasingly opposed to the construction of these unsightly, dangerous structures in their communities.
Although EEI's project was an abysmal failure, the utility industry wasn't about to give up its attempt to "sway by words" and continued the effort to beautify transmission towers through a series of industry magazine advertisements. It wasn't really about swaying the public at that point, but about swaying the utility executives to purchase new designs that they believed were more beautiful than traditional towers. And the utility industry of the day was dominated by men. And the fastest way to a man's heart is through his... ummm... stop. Anyhow, a 1968 A.B. Chance Co. advertisement in one utility rag utilized what was supposed to be a hot 1968 woman, dubbed "Miss Beautility," singing a little song about her "15-minute color film showing the use of strong, tapered, galvanized steel unipoles." Oh, behave, you silly men! Get your minds out of the gutter. "Miss Beautility" wasn't talking about YOUR unipole!
American Electric Power is still enthralled with its unipole. It made some big to do about its new BOLD design recently. AEP claims that its "elegant" unipole "imparts a more favorable aesthetic appearance."
Says who? AEP hasn't published any public opinion polling results that back up its aesthetic claims.
Nevertheless, AEP claims, "Efficiency never looked so good!"
However, the public that opposes transmission towers hasn't expressed a desire for "a streamlined, low-profile structure with phase-conductor bundles arranged into compact delta configurations." Only AEP gets excited about that.
I'm really disappointed that AEP wasted all its brainpower developing another overhead transmission structure. It doesn't matter what the tower looks like. The industry has tried shaping them like people. Or Mickey Mouse. Clowns. Robot. Deer. And many more bright ideas to "disguise" or "amuse" the people who gotta live with them. I'm still waiting for the tower shaped like a dollar sign, since building new towers directly translates to increased utility profits.
But here's the reality. What society wants is not to see these towers at all. This is what the perfectly aesthetic electric transmission tower looks like.
It's buried.
Since AEP probably doesn't have any employees who look and think like this guy
Although EEI's project was an abysmal failure, the utility industry wasn't about to give up its attempt to "sway by words" and continued the effort to beautify transmission towers through a series of industry magazine advertisements. It wasn't really about swaying the public at that point, but about swaying the utility executives to purchase new designs that they believed were more beautiful than traditional towers. And the utility industry of the day was dominated by men. And the fastest way to a man's heart is through his... ummm... stop. Anyhow, a 1968 A.B. Chance Co. advertisement in one utility rag utilized what was supposed to be a hot 1968 woman, dubbed "Miss Beautility," singing a little song about her "15-minute color film showing the use of strong, tapered, galvanized steel unipoles." Oh, behave, you silly men! Get your minds out of the gutter. "Miss Beautility" wasn't talking about YOUR unipole!
American Electric Power is still enthralled with its unipole. It made some big to do about its new BOLD design recently. AEP claims that its "elegant" unipole "imparts a more favorable aesthetic appearance."
Says who? AEP hasn't published any public opinion polling results that back up its aesthetic claims.
Nevertheless, AEP claims, "Efficiency never looked so good!"
However, the public that opposes transmission towers hasn't expressed a desire for "a streamlined, low-profile structure with phase-conductor bundles arranged into compact delta configurations." Only AEP gets excited about that.
I'm really disappointed that AEP wasted all its brainpower developing another overhead transmission structure. It doesn't matter what the tower looks like. The industry has tried shaping them like people. Or Mickey Mouse. Clowns. Robot. Deer. And many more bright ideas to "disguise" or "amuse" the people who gotta live with them. I'm still waiting for the tower shaped like a dollar sign, since building new towers directly translates to increased utility profits.
But here's the reality. What society wants is not to see these towers at all. This is what the perfectly aesthetic electric transmission tower looks like.
It's buried.
Since AEP probably doesn't have any employees who look and think like this guy
AEP needs to get with the program and put its money and talents on a true aesthetically pleasing transmission solution. One we can't see.
AEP is wasting its time on overhead line design. It's BOLD design is about as appealing as a fresh turd. It won't do a thing to ameliorate public opposition to new transmission projects. Fail.
AEP is wasting its time on overhead line design. It's BOLD design is about as appealing as a fresh turd. It won't do a thing to ameliorate public opposition to new transmission projects. Fail.
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