IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2021 - 24

Commentary
a wind vane style arrow could point out the flow
direction. For a more modernized approach, light
could be projected onto the conductors themselves,
with intensity and color depicting the prevailing
loading level.
Such design features would be in line with the
idea of Wuebben [6] who argues that " power lines
are actors and convey a certain agency " and asks
" what meanings could electric infrastructure transmit
to viewers? " Good design should evoke the inherent
dynamism of a thrumming circuit shipping clean
power directly from a windswept hill to the heart of
a city. Depicting the fluctuating powerflow carried
by a line animates the electricity infrastructure and
would allow normal people to gain some appreciation
for the operation of the national grid.
Locality and connection: Embrace
pylons as landmarks
The height of transmission towers indicates that
they will always be prominent in the landscape,
so it makes sense to bear this in mind and provide
each with some decorative elements to make them
distinctive local landmarks. So, the standard designs
should provide some space for cosmetic flourishes
specific to each pylon. Individual variation within a
consistent pattern is attractive and charming.
While the technical legibility details would give
some " personality " to each pylon, some more
humanizing touches would also be widely welcomed.
For instance, each pylon could provide
an alcove for a sculpture or art piece. So, it might
be nice to commission attractive animal emblems
for every tower in the network. This could form a
charming motif across the system, providing landmarks
and aide-memoires to ordinary people:
" Take the left turn after you see the transmission
tower with the statue of the otter. " The quaint pubs
across England are often named after the pictorial
signage that identified a particular tavern in pre-literate
times, hence names like " The Dog and Duck "
or " The Horse and Hound. " Such pastoral imagery
is humane, memorable, and uplifting, and these are
the very qualities that electricity infrastructure most
severely lacks.
The particular community surrounding a pylon
could also be celebrated in its design. For instance, a
stripe of the local county colors could be accommodated,
as could the crest of the nearest town. The design
should signify both locality and connection, embedding
24
the pylon in its community context and depicting the
outward links provided by the circuit it carries.
Conclusion
I have attended dozens of conferences devoted to
power systems engineering, where every minor subfield
of the discipline is discussed in exquisite detail. Yet,
I have barely heard a whisper on the brutalizing effect
that ugly pylons have on lovely landscapes. Some engineers
seem to take a perverse pride in this, signaling
their supposed technical sophistication by dismissing
such " soft " concerns as esthetics. This is a real shame, as
it shows a gauche disregard for the concerns of normal
electricity users. We can do better than erecting transmission
pylons that look as cheap and functional as possible.
We need to provide the cosmetic ingredients that
allow normal people to feel a sense of ownership and
connection with these vital assets.
Anything cAn be made beautiful with a little care
and attention. If engineers continue to ignore this
simple wisdom, communities will continue to resist
the new powerlines that are desperately needed to
connect wind and solar generators. This article has
discussed three simple design principles to create
humane and timeless infrastructure networks, and
the need for this will only grow as we decarbonize
and electrify our energy use. It is time to embrace a
green future without the gray steel.

 References
[1] D. Halicarnaseus, The Roman Antiquities of Dionysius
of Halicarnassus, vol. 2, E. Cary, Ed. Cambridge, MA,
USA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1937.
[2] A. de Botton. (2015). How to Make an Attractive City.
The School of Life. [Online]. Available: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4QjmKzF1c\&t=252s
[3] E. Levy, " The aesthetics of power: High-voltage
transmission systems and the American landscape,''
Technol. Culture, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 575-607, 1997.
[4] All-Island Substation Connectivity Diagram V1.1,
V2. Accessed: May 12, 2021. [Online]. Available:
https://figshare.com/articles/All-Island\_Substation\_
Connectivity\_Diagram\_v1\_0/6860777/2, doi:
10.6084/m9.figshare.6860777.
[5] J. da Silva et al., " Innovative solutions for overhead
line supports,'' CIGRE Work. Group B 2, 2010.
[6] D. Wuebben, " From wire evil to power line poetics:
The ethics and aesthetics of renewable transmission,''
Energy Res. Social Sci., vol. 30, pp. 53-60, Aug. 2017.
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4QjmKzF1c\\&t=252s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4QjmKzF1c\\&t=252s https://www.figshare.com/articles/All-Island\_Substation\_Connectivity\_Diagram\_v1\_0/6860777/2 https://www.figshare.com/articles/All-Island\_Substation\_Connectivity\_Diagram\_v1\_0/6860777/2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2021

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