Big Science adopts an Über Power Over Ethernet Scheme

One hundred megabits, too slow, only ten gigabit rates need apply. You ask "Forty eight volts?" this project will need ten thousand volts for the backbone distances of over one hundred kilometers. Will twelve watts do, no this project requires one hundred kilowatts! Environmental considerations, this project is located in an earthquake zone on the bottom of the ocean with operational temperatures of 300 degrees Celsius.
This is the ultimate power data combination that is slated for project Neptune, the world's first fixed undersea environment monitoring network. The mission is to monitor one of the world's most active tectonic area located off the western coast of Canada, the Juan de Fuca plate.
This project is just too cool, an undersea network of monitors will be powered from an onshore supply and report back over the same cable. Ok, it may not be 802.3af compatible but the concept is very familiar to POE design engineers.
Now the project has been funded A drawing of the network is available here

The above represents the opinion of George Mallard, P.E.