ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that people untrained in electrical engineering believe that there is something mysterious about electricity; and they go to great lengths to avoid learning any electrical engineering theory. One need not become proficient in transmission line design or electronic circuitry, but he should have sufficient knowledge to be as critical of what comes out of the electrical discipline. In most industrial or process plant projects, direct electrical material and labor runs from five to ten percent of the total estimated cost of the project. The major electrical equipment requires a long lead time and can be the determining factor in the overall project schedule. Dual feeders versus single feeders, singleended substations versus double-ended, the quantity of motor-driven spare equipment such as spare pumps and compressors, are all examples of redundancy that affect electrical costs as a percent of total cost.
