I found the number, one of seventeen 800 numbers listed in the
phone book, a choice I had to make to find out what caused my outage. Luckily,
I did find a great lady who helped me. I asked her where she was; she was in
Long Beach, California. I was in Palm Desert, California, a half a state away.
She was able, by computer, to let me know that my problem was caused by an
underground cable dysfunction. Formerly California Edison, now Edison
International, it is a large company serving many areas worldwide. It was my
service company. Deregulation for the utility industry makes me uncomfortable. It
hasn't been too smooth for the airlines or for telephone companies. As a member
of Salem Electric, it is so special to be able to dial one number and reach the
person to whom I wish to speak. Guess I'm just a small town gal.
Vacation continued, and another special experience. For many
years I've watched those windmills whirling around in the wind in the
California desert. When I first saw them, I felt they were a blight to the
landscape. I have been educated. I had a special day with Fredrick Noble, the
owner and CEO of Wintec, the wind power energy company in the Palm Desert area.
Salem Electric purchased wind power from Foote Creek Rim in
Wyoming. Though I did not participate in the visit to Wyoming, I was well
informed by the directors who were on-site. With Mr. Noble in California, I was
able to ask questions such as: age and life expectancy of the towers (twenty
years I was told) are they bird-friendly, and to whom do you sell the power?
Guess who... Edison. Mr. Noble gave me a wealth of information. When wind power began
in the 1980s, there were problems with gear box failures. Modern technology has
changed all that, and those wind turbines you see on the hills here in the U.S.
and in Europe, the world leaders of wind energy development, will continue to
assure us that we will have enough generation to assist us for the next decade
and beyond. Director
| Board Reports |
July 1999
Vacation.
April. Up at 6:00 a.m., listening to the news and the weather report on the
radio. 6:35, radio and lights go off. Here I am, not knowing the electric
company that covers my rental unit. What to do. Phone book. Who is open at this
time of the morning? Nobody! Not to find the utility that serviced my rental
unit, I waited until after 8:00 a.m., when the current came back on and I was
able to discover my provider. Alicia Bonesteele
