Ofgem warns of blackouts within 3 years

Ofgem warns of blackouts within 3 years

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Discussion

Mojocvh

16,837 posts

261 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
eldar said:
greygoose said:
Politicians are just scared of the next opinion poll nowadays, no one wants a nuclear power station near them so none get built, no one wants a new airport runway built near them so none get built, so we end up with a country in paralysis with nothing done in case someone doesn't like it.
Would you object if I said bks? Where I live (West Cumbria) new nuclear power stations would be welcome - conveniently next door to Sellafield.

Construction was supposed to start in January 2012. It hasn't.
OK fair dues to you then, if that is the consensus, then far be it from ME to stop what YOU want in your own "back yard".

Shale oil/gas, now there is a seemingly HUGE resource that, combined with renewables, could lead to a non-nuclear, effective and economic source of energy for the United Kingdom.

But I guess the big players are short of a few million shares in these then......



odyssey2200

18,650 posts

208 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
So, has anyone told the part of the Government that give you £5000 of tax payers money to go toward you buying an electric car?

Joined up thinking?


Blib

43,795 posts

196 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Mojocvh said:
OK fair dues to you then, if that is the consensus, then far be it from ME to stop what YOU want in your own "back yard".

Shale oil/gas, now there is a seemingly HUGE resource that, combined with renewables, could lead to a non-nuclear, effective and economic source of energy for the United Kingdom.

But I guess the big players are short of a few million shares in these then......
We do not need renewables. We would not have renewables if it were not for the subsidies. The same subsidies that will force many of our most vulnerable citizens to choose between heating and food this winter. Some will die. Directly as a result of the subsidies.

Renewables are merely a political weapon. None can be used without an 'old technology' plant being on standby.

enewables are a waste on every single level.

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

203 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
eldar said:
greygoose said:
Politicians are just scared of the next opinion poll nowadays, no one wants a nuclear power station near them so none get built, no one wants a new airport runway built near them so none get built, so we end up with a country in paralysis with nothing done in case someone doesn't like it.
Would you object if I said bks? Where I live (West Cumbria) new nuclear power stations would be welcome - conveniently next door to Sellafield.

Construction was supposed to start in January 2012. It hasn't.
I'd be perfectly happy if they built one just down the road from me

Far prefer a nuclear power station to a housing estate

Otispunkmeyer

12,557 posts

154 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
speedy_thrills said:
These agencies seem to always be forecasting a shortage in generating capacity that never materialises. Same in nearly every country.

ETA: Except S.A. and India of course.
I thought ofgem relinquished most of their regulatory powers and so to stop themselves becoming completely pointless (and to justify 6 figure salaries) try trott out some guff every now and then. Not saying they are wrong of course, but if they didn't put out stuff like this they wouldn't do anything.

Btw I learned about their powers or lack thereof through watchdog, so take that with all the salt in your house,

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all

I once had a conversation with a director of a power generating company and asked this question around brown/black outs, he said the same thing within 2-3 years if we didn't take urgent action.




powerstroke

10,283 posts

159 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
odyssey2200 said:
So, has anyone told the part of the Government that give you £5000 of tax payers money to go toward you buying an electric car?

Joined up thinking?
Sounds like it !!! solves the lack of road capacity
biggrin

Negative Creep

24,942 posts

226 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
SystemParanoia said:
solution biggrin

Pfft, this is clearly how to create infinite energy


odyssey2200

18,650 posts

208 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
powerstroke said:
odyssey2200 said:
So, has anyone told the part of the Government that give you £5000 of tax payers money to go toward you buying an electric car?

Joined up thinking?
Sounds like it !!! solves the lack of road capacity
biggrin
maybe motorway will get 2 lanes for trafic and 2 lanes of hard shoulder?


General Bilko

266 posts

185 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
We could always tell the EU to fk right off and keep the coal fired stations going a bit longer until we've got our shale gas extraction up and running.....

Blib

43,795 posts

196 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
General Bilko said:
We could always tell the EU to fk right off and keep the coal fired stations going a bit longer until we've got our shale gas extraction up and running.....
Or, commission new ones, as the Germans have done.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
eldar said:
greygoose said:
Politicians are just scared of the next opinion poll nowadays, no one wants a nuclear power station near them so none get built, no one wants a new airport runway built near them so none get built, so we end up with a country in paralysis with nothing done in case someone doesn't like it.
Would you object if I said bks? Where I live (West Cumbria) new nuclear power stations would be welcome - conveniently next door to Sellafield.

Construction was supposed to start in January 2012. It hasn't.
What eldar said.

We love them in Cumbria.

I wish they would build 5 or 6 of the things and just have done with it... More money for us.
When I was at school it seemed that every single family in the area had a dad that 'worked at Sellafiend' for £50k a year.

West Cumbrians have always been dock workers, ship builders, coal miners or factory workers. Working in a nuclear power plant is a positive relief for them.

hidetheelephants

23,772 posts

192 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
NinjaPower said:
eldar said:
greygoose said:
Politicians are just scared of the next opinion poll nowadays, no one wants a nuclear power station near them so none get built, no one wants a new airport runway built near them so none get built, so we end up with a country in paralysis with nothing done in case someone doesn't like it.
Would you object if I said bks? Where I live (West Cumbria) new nuclear power stations would be welcome - conveniently next door to Sellafield.

Construction was supposed to start in January 2012. It hasn't.
What eldar said.

We love them in Cumbria.

I wish they would build 5 or 6 of the things and just have done with it... More money for us.
When I was at school it seemed that every single family in the area had a dad that 'worked at Sellafiend' for £50k a year.

West Cumbrians have always been dock workers, ship builders, coal miners or factory workers. Working in a nuclear power plant is a positive relief for them.
I live 15 miles down wind of Hunterston; I'd like a new one too please.

Scuffers

20,887 posts

273 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
that's OK, we can just slap up a few more cheap gas stations...

this then pushes up the price of gas to everybody and we become yet more dependant on Russia for our energy needs...

anybody that argues against nuclear really needs to sit down and have a long hard think about what the alternatives are, and it's certainly NOT wind/tide/wave or the catastrophically stupid idea of storage using liquid air!

we can all go on about new technologies coming etc, but if you actually think back over the last 40+ years, what has actually come though that has changed the options?

Nothing.

Take power storage for example, most efficient is still pumped water (ie. Dinorwig opened in 1984), by far the most efficient 'battery' system, yet we are now talking about something that's less than a 3rd as efficient, questionable lifespan, costs, environmental impact etc.

in fact, actual batteries have been about the only thing that have actually improved in power densities etc, but nobody is proposing we use them are they? (even though 123 systems in the US have been selling such systems for a while now).




Blib

43,795 posts

196 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
I have no idea how long it takes to build and commission a nuclear power station. However, I would assume that a gas fired station is easier, cheaper and quicker to get to electricity production.

Therefore, the real no brainer is to commission new nuclear stations for mid to long term security that it provides and at the same time, go ahead with shale gas. It's sitting under Lancashire just waiting to be used.

We already have the generating stations ready. The coal stations currently under thread of closure, could be adapted to use gas and we'd be home free.

Of course, this will not happen. Not until the lights begin to go out. It really is like living in some Looking Glass world at the moment.


jurbie

2,339 posts

200 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
that's OK, we can just slap up a few more cheap gas stations...

this then pushes up the price of gas to everybody and we become yet more dependant on Russia for our energy needs...
Not if we exploit the 300 years worth of shale gas sitting beneath Lancashire. The US has halved its energy costs by exploiting shale gas and we could do the same. Unfortunately it probably won't happen because of the well co-ordinated green campaign against shale gas, which if rumours are correct is being funded by those who would like to keep us dependant on expensive gas imports. I'll leave you to work out who that might be but a clue is in the quote above.

jurbie

2,339 posts

200 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
Of course, this will not happen. Not until the lights begin to go out. It really is like living in some Looking Glass world at the moment.
I think this is what it will take to wake people up and the best we can do is prepare individually for the coming energy shortfall and hope that when the reality hits it drives the final nail into the coffin of green activism which has got us into the mess in the first place.

turbobloke

103,744 posts

259 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
jurbie said:
Blib said:
Of course, this will not happen. Not until the lights begin to go out. It really is like living in some Looking Glass world at the moment.
I think this is what it will take to wake people up and the best we can do is prepare individually for the coming energy shortfall and hope that when the reality hits it drives the final nail into the coffin of green activism which has got us into the mess in the first place.
Agreed. We have had plenty of time and notice, significantly longer than Ofgem have given us. We (individually) can stay ahead of the game. However, there are a lot of people who don't have the capacity or capability to review the situation as thoroughly and they are going to be - to quote the technical term - stuffed. As pointed out, and to use an unkind but accurate phrase, when the sheeple see where they have been led by the ignorant buffoons in charge and the zealots driving them, there will be more rapid change.

andy_s

19,397 posts

258 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Shale gas is the 'big thing' most oil companies are looking at now, there are huge reserves worldwide.

Nuclear is the only viable, fossil-fuel independent energy source and it's a shame the UK lost its dominance in the field.

It's certainly been short-sighted of the politicos not to address this when they could, but I suspect the 4 year rolling 'it was them' political system, the knee-jerk reactions to garner popularity 'at the moment' and the vested financial interest amongst the coterie in 'green' projects like the Severn barrage and the current crop of windfarms are to blame.

superlightr

12,842 posts

262 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
So home generators - Any sugegstions as to what to get? Combination of things? - Serious question.