A study of plans and policies of power companies in dealing with rural customers

Much progress has been made in the United States as a whole and in Virginia in particular, in the establishment of a practical plan for extending the use of electricity to rural communities. The most satisfactory source of electric power is from the distribution system of a utility company. Many farms however cannot be economically reached by these distribution systems and there will continue to be a fertile field for the use of individual gas engine driven or small hydro-electric plants. Power companies on the whole are becoming interested in going out on a business like basis for the farm customer and will become even more interested as more study is given the subject and a better understanding of the requirements of rural service are acquired. About a 100,000 farm customers are being added yearly in the United States. Farmers are becoming "electrically minded" and are learning how to use electric power profitably. This is essential if rural electric service is to be a success, since electricity for convenience only is an expensive luxury. The Virginia plan for rural extensions is a practical workable plan that is acceptable alike to the farmer apd to the power company. Like any new tool, we have not yet learned entirely how to use it, and it may even need to be altered in a few respects to make it best serve the purpose for which it was designed. Very satisfactory progress has been made in organizing departments in the companies of this state for the express purpose of extending service into rural territory and helping to solve the farmer's electrical and power problems. The Agricultural Engineering Department of V. P. I. and Professor C. E. Seitz in particular deserve a great deal of credit for the progress rural electrification has made in Virginia. Satisfactory rate schedules are being worked out but this subject still demands much study. Two of the problems proposed in the preliminary outline of this study still require much time and study for their solution and it is recommended that they be continued. These are “what constitutes minimum, adequate, and safe construction for rural lines?" and, “what is the cost of rural lines meeting the minimum requirements as to capacity, physical strength, etc.?" The cost of serving farm customers is an obstacle to further extension of the service. One way to reduce that cost is to use cheaper line construction. The lines must however be adequately constructed to insure uninterrupted service.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Agricultural Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute

Year dc:date.issued

1930

Author dc:creator

• Hillman, Verne Russell

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/110197

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/110197