Overhead Power Lines

The sizzling sound of 700,000 volts of electricity screeching through thin wires overhead is enough to instill an extreme amount of caution in even the bravest person around. Stand still and you begin to sense the awesome power settling on your skin, sending all of the hairs on your body standing in salute and on the edge of their little seats. If you can, try to suck in some of the spice floating in the air and start your day off with a thunderbolt bang. Overhead power lines are electric power transmission lines suspended by towers or utility poles. Since most of the insulation is provided by air, overhead power lines are generally the lowest-cost method of transmission for large quantities of electric energy. The invention of the strain insulator was a critical factor in allowing higher voltages to be used. At the end of the 19th century, the limited electrical strength of telegraph-style pin insulators limited the voltage to no more than 69,000 volts. Today overhead lines are routinely operated at voltages exceeding 765,000 volts between conductors, with even higher voltages possible in some cases. This sound uses the following file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=51635