Beautiful new pylons

I speak of the T-Pylon, a new design that won a competition organised jointly by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the then government back in 2011. It was to replace the tall, unattractive, skeletal design we have had since the 1920s. Ever since 2011 I have been looking out for these sleek new T-Pylons, and finally spotted a line of them last month at Mark Causeway, when driving between Wedmore and Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset. I stopped to take a shot or two.

They reminded me of a line of wind turbine posts, but with a crossbar at the top, rather than a propeller and generator pod. Plus a neat diamond-arrangement of wires and insulators. 

It was part of a section carrying power from Hinkley Point. The ones I saw became operational early in 2023, and point the way for new installations in the years ahead, if new electricity cables need to be routed over land and not (for instance) put inside tunnels underground. They may also replace the old-style pylons, but only very gradually: I imagine those will be with us for decades to come.

The new government has of course just made its Green Energy announcements. And it's not simply a case of building a few more offshore wind farms. The power generated has to be taken to where it is needed, generally a long distance overland, and new cable capacity will be needed. That means pylons. But pylons like this will be much less of a blot on the landscape than the unloved old ones, such as these at Akenham in Suffolk:

No contest, I'd say. In fact I think the new T-Pylons look pretty good. No, I wouldn't want one at the bottom of my garden; but a line of them half a mile away - and part of the bucolic scene - would be OK. The T-Pylons look nicely-designed and futuristic in a good way. They are less visible than the old sort, and don't use up so much farmland. No doubt they are aerodynamic and can withstand very high winds. And their maintenance should be easier.  

If we are going all-electric to save the planet, I am not going to protest. Pylons are a necessity, and can be regarded as a Good Thing. In any case, the ugly old infrastructure will gradually be dismantled, which will be a gain.

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