Ofgem warns of blackouts within 3 years

Ofgem warns of blackouts within 3 years

Author
Discussion

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

197 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
superlightr said:
So home generators - Any sugegstions as to what to get? Combination of things? - Serious question.
first i believe it would be a good idea to calculate/measure the peak load you will ever put onto the system.

once that is established, a nice genny of the appropriate rating will do nicely smile


if you have a forest backing onto the rear of your house, a steam engine would be awesome biggrin

hyperblue

2,800 posts

179 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
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.
The coal stations are throwing money at converting to run on 100% biomass in order to stay open. Though at a meeting last month, I was informed that a certain power station would need to burn a forest the size of Yorkshire and Lancashire combined every year to meet its biomass requirements.

I doubt it is economically viable to convert a coal station to run on gas.

BigMacDaddy

963 posts

180 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Easy solution to this one.

Commence planning and preparation for new nuclear powerstations.

Invite objections from joe public.

Anyone lodging an objection has their household power supply regulated to ensure that those who aren't blinkered hippy tts don't suffer brown/blackouts.

Everyone's a winner!

Blib

43,797 posts

196 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
hyperblue said:
I doubt it is economically viable to convert a coal station to run on gas.
Thanks for that bit of information. How long would it take to build and commission a new gas power station?

mcdjl

5,438 posts

194 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
BigMacDaddy said:
Easy solution to this one.

Commence planning and preparation for new nuclear powerstations.

Invite objections from joe public.

Anyone lodging an objection has their household power supply regulated to ensure that those who aren't blinkered hippy tts don't suffer brown/blackouts.

Everyone's a winner!
With all the green energy options around I'd be interested to know how many times the electricity from the wind mills/solar panels etc is sold

AnimalMkIV

685 posts

143 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
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.
Somewhere between 8-12 years for nuclear compared to 4-6 for coal/gas.

We need to build something (ideally, half a dozen somethings) and we need to have started last year.

There are (I think) 6 sites already pre-approved for new nuclear power stations (Sellafield certainly) and essentially just need the funding approved.

m8rky

2,090 posts

158 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Now I remember sitting in Geography in the late 70's and watching a film that promised the Nuclear power plants would provide abundant free power for all.
I guess I was lied to?


SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

197 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
dont worry, ITER will be up and running sometime in 2019 biggrin

lets hope they solve the puzzle smile

http://www.iter.org/faq

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

203 months

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

Start a thread down in the homes and garden section

it really depends what you want it to do

We have a pokey wee honda thing that gets rolled out of the garage when we have our yearly powercut. Its a wee air cooled job which has enough juice to run the fridges, the central heating/cooker (aga type oil fired), the well pump and lights.

The Don of Croy

5,977 posts

158 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Mojocvh said:
Couple of points.

1.Could you be so kind as to detail the levels of subsidy that the nuclear industry has had since it's inception?

2. What has the nuclear industry done for the last 20 years ? [ apart from sit on it's subsidised profits and watch it's infrastructure crumble around itself].

thankx.

but no thanxs.
Whilst I'm not actually in the pay of the nuclear lobby, nor the military-industrial complex, I do hold a candle for nuclear power. But if either group wants to slip me a bung please PM first...

A lot of very big numbers are routinely touted for the cost of nuclear, particularly the de-commissioning. Currently taking place at Dounreay I believe. But who is doing it and where is the money going? If a private company or PLC were working on a contract paying x billion for the next 25 years would we not have heard of it? Or, if totally in-house then the numbers would be published by the relevant department.

I'm not saying it is not happening, but try finding where all this money is going and it is not immediately obvious. They wouldn't lie to us, would they?

Apache

39,731 posts

283 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
m8rky said:
Now I remember sitting in Geography in the late 70's and watching a film that promised the Nuclear power plants would provide abundant free power for all.
I guess I was lied to?
Not really, if they hadn't closed down the old ones instead of replacing them we'd be enjoying it now....unfortunately the fking Greens seem to be influential in Parliament.

"Ofgem warns of blackouts within 3 years" I think PH was warning about it 5 years ago

AnimalMkIV

685 posts

143 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
The Don of Croy said:
Whilst I'm not actually in the pay of the nuclear lobby, nor the military-industrial complex, I do hold a candle for nuclear power. But if either group wants to slip me a bung please PM first...

A lot of very big numbers are routinely touted for the cost of nuclear, particularly the de-commissioning. Currently taking place at Dounreay I believe. But who is doing it and where is the money going? If a private company or PLC were working on a contract paying x billion for the next 25 years would we not have heard of it? Or, if totally in-house then the numbers would be published by the relevant department.

I'm not saying it is not happening, but try finding where all this money is going and it is not immediately obvious. They wouldn't lie to us, would they?
Amec, Doosan Babcock, Jacobs, Atkins, WYG, Carillion & Mott (tee hee) MacDonald to name but a few. There are a lot of companies involved in the nuclear sector, all taking reasonable chunks of work and all employing a lot of staff so the money is going back into the economy.

hidetheelephants

23,780 posts

192 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
Thanks for that bit of information. How long would it take to build and commission a new gas power station?
Containerised GT sets can be on your doorstep in hours, planning and delivery times not withstanding something like a GE H series producing 500MW could be installed inside six months.

Blib

43,797 posts

196 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
Blib said:
Thanks for that bit of information. How long would it take to build and commission a new gas power station?
Containerised GT sets can be on your doorstep in hours, planning and delivery times not withstanding something like a GE H series producing 500MW could be installed inside six months.
Blimey. So, we have a simple solution to this most pressing of problems. New gas fired stations powered by our own supply of shale gas.

However, due to undemocratic pressure groups and their "chicken little" hyperbole, that solution is not available to the nation.

If I had a cat, I'd kick it.


Einion Yrth

19,575 posts

243 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
Blimey. So, we have a simple solution to this most pressing of problems. New gas fired stations powered by our own supply of shale gas.

However, due to undemocratic pressure groups and their "chicken little" hyperbole, that solution is not available to the nation.

If I had a cat, I'd kick it.
Wouldn't be the cat's fault; give a Greenie a good shoeing!

Blib

43,797 posts

196 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Einion Yrth said:
Wouldn't be the cat's fault; give a Greenie a good shoeing!
I believe a proportion of them to be self hating misanthropes. So, they'd probably enjoy that.

hehe

Apache

39,731 posts

283 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Blib said:
hidetheelephants said:
Blib said:
Thanks for that bit of information. How long would it take to build and commission a new gas power station?
Containerised GT sets can be on your doorstep in hours, planning and delivery times not withstanding something like a GE H series producing 500MW could be installed inside six months.
Blimey. So, we have a simple solution to this most pressing of problems. New gas fired stations powered by our own supply of shale gas.

However, due to undemocratic pressure groups and their "chicken little" hyperbole, that solution is not available to the nation.

If I had a cat, I'd kick it.
Bloody crazy isn't it, just think of the benefits......safe jobs, reliable supply, low costs, less manky than coal, hell we could even export

Blib

43,797 posts

196 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Apache said:
Blib said:
hidetheelephants said:
Blib said:
Thanks for that bit of information. How long would it take to build and commission a new gas power station?
Containerised GT sets can be on your doorstep in hours, planning and delivery times not withstanding something like a GE H series producing 500MW could be installed inside six months.
Blimey. So, we have a simple solution to this most pressing of problems. New gas fired stations powered by our own supply of shale gas.

However, due to undemocratic pressure groups and their "chicken little" hyperbole, that solution is not available to the nation.

If I had a cat, I'd kick it.
Bloody crazy isn't it, just think of the benefits......safe jobs, reliable supply, low costs, less manky than coal, hell we could even export
The University of East Anglia has a lot to answer for. As I posted earlier, we live in an Alice Through the Looking Glass world.

Scuffers

20,887 posts

273 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
exactly, and in the meantime we all get the hand wringing over the rising costs of heating our homes etc....

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
superlightr said:
So home generators - Any sugegstions as to what to get? Combination of things? - Serious question.
Serious answer

Start a thread down in the homes and garden section

it really depends what you want it to do

We have a pokey wee honda thing that gets rolled out of the garage when we have our yearly powercut. Its a wee air cooled job which has enough juice to run the fridges, the central heating/cooker (aga type oil fired), the well pump and lights.
I have a Honda 6KW mobile one on wheels which is essentially for our small office (sufficient to run a 2500sq ft office to include 7 computers, 2 servers, lights, kettle etc. etc.) and keep us up and running with more than enough power.

More than enough to run my house on a reduced basis and I get 12 hours from a small tank of fuel.

Cost a couple of grand three or more years ago and only been used twice in anger but I thought it may be used at home at some stage so had the house wired with a switch to move form mains to generator as need be. It does help I have LED lights throughout the rooms with down lighters and low energy throughout the rest of the house so the draw is four 5's of f-all.