Thematic Photographic - Electric

"Thematic Photographic" - Carmi at the blog Written, Inc. presents a weekly themed photographic challenge. This week's theme is ELECTRIC. Check in and see who else contributes photos based on this idea.

This is the guts of a Southern California Edison power distribution system in an old building. The three cylinders you see are three huge step-down coils of copper wire, transforming the power coming into the building from high voltage to 220 volts, the standard voltage for distribution systems inside buildings. When I took the photo these connections were being removed from the building and replaced.

The bus bars, or connecting bars of copper bolted to the coils, are bigger than any electrical connection I've ever seen.

The coils dwarf the slim build of this young electrician.

Even though the entire building was disconnected from the power grid at the time I took this photo, just looking at these massive coils made the hair rise up on my scalp, and made my bones tingle as if the electromagentic force were still thrumming through them.

Electric.