[BC] Electrical Code

[Lamar Owen]

On Saturday 22 October 2005 12:01, PeterH5322 at aol.com wrote:
> >What do you consider to be 'new', Peter?

> I was speaking as a former EE in the planning division of this nation's
> largest municipal utility.

Certainly.  But I was just commenting on the timing, that's all.  I actually 
knew of your history in that regard (an old post on a tech list), and respect 
your qualifications.  I would think, speaking primarily in a rural sense, 
that the utility would drop whatever service for which they had the equipment 
in hand.  But I think what you say below is more of a factor than age:

> Certainly, practices differ between providers,

This nails it, really.  Provider preference; that is, the provider can 
'encourage' you to do it their way. An example can be found around here where 
a customer (residential, no less) was on the local co-op and wanted on Duke 
instead.  The PUC became involved; and the guy was told that there wasn't any 
Duke line close by (even though the guy was in the 'choice' area).  The guy 
then presented photographs of the Duke 44KV distribution lines, and asked 
'What are these, then?' to which Duke said 'We can't give you power off of 
those!' to which the NC PUC said 'Sure you can.  Do it.'  So that guy has the 
most reliable power in town with a direct pole pig on a 44KV line.  Others on 
the path of that line have done the same; I've counted about 10 pole pigs on 
the 44KV line up to the substation it serves.  The 44KV is the feeder for the 
co-op, incidentally.  A 15KVA pole pig on a 44KV line sure does look funny, 
and large.

[snip]
> a primary, often 4,800 to 34,500 (distribution or subtransmission), and a
> secondary (service), and a service could be anything the customer
> requested, from a simple 100 A panelboard to 1,500 KVA (1.5 MW)
> metal-clad switchgear, or more.

Very good narrative.  I bet you could tell some tales.  Primary here is 7200 
for the most part (12,470 phase to phase).  The sub here is a 35MW 
installation, with boost transformers and PF caps located on poles at 
intervals.  We're still the largest customer of this co-op, even at our 
reduced load.

> Incidentally, the NEC, itself, rarely applies to utilities or their
> services. The NEC is applicable mainly to the customer side of the
> service, and most particularly to the customer side of the meter.

Yes indeed.  I've seen some 'interesting' things on the primary side.
-- 
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC  28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu