Abstract :
An overview is presented of the influence of social forces on technological change, based on the experiences involved in the establishment of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey Interconnection (PNJ), the first 220-kV transmission system between independent companies in the US that was established in 1927. None of the precursor efforts-federal, state, or private-were able to develop a politically acceptable administrative framework for high-voltage interconnection. The author discusses the interplay of political, economic, and personal factors evoked by the proposals considered for such an interconnection which reflected the contemporary national debate on the future of electric utilities. It is concluded that the early success of the PNJ was due to the fact that its design did not disrupt existing patterns of ownership and regulation.<>
Keywords :
electricity supply industry; history; politics; PNJ; Pennsylvania-New Jersey Interconnection; US; contemporary national debate; electric utilities; high-voltage interconnection; independent companies; ownership; personal factors; politically acceptable administrative framework; power politics; regulation; social forces; technological change; transmission system; Ethics; Government; LAN interconnection; Power engineering and energy; Power generation economics; Power supplies; Power system economics; Power system interconnection; Proposals; Railway engineering;
