Power Cuts This Winter

[pad]

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displ...e=sidebarsearch

[privatefraser]

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displ...e=sidebarsearch

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i know a country with lots of gas.

you might have noticed it in the news a lot lately.

seems like we are itching for a fight with this country,

not because its got all that gas that we need to keep warm in our frigid winters.

of course not.

[Guest Charlie The Tramp]

Maybe the time to buy a small generator to run the lighting and central heating boiler why generators are still cheap. During Heath`s reign, the three day week and power cuts, the neighbours were surprised how my house was swathed in light.

Don`t forget though, you must get a qualified electrician to install a connecting point, not advisable to back feed into the National Grid.

[Neil D Possitt]

Or get some of these;

inverters

and a couple of heavy duty car batteries.

[Bluelady]

EXcellent news - power cuts in the winter equals a baby boom the following late summer and autumn.

[clv101]

Yeah, this winter could be interesting. See my recent article here:

UK Gas and Electricity Crisis Looming

If winter 2005/06 is not extremely warm like last year then we can expect significant shortages. If it is as cold as 2003/04 demand could be 10% higher than last year (7% due to temperature and 3% due to two years demand growth) whilst supply could be lower than last year due to depletion.

http://www.vitaltrivia.co.uk/2005/08/27

[malco]

I wouldn't worry yourselves unduly. These sorts of reports are written by muppets who don't understand how the industry operates. For instance, we have storage capacity for two weeks' national gas consumption, so even if there is a spike that causes a temporray shortfall we have massive buffering in store that can be recharged in lighter periods.

A large amount of gas is burned by power stations on interruptible contracts. That means the gas supplier sees a peak coming and gives the power company notice that its gas is going off in 24 hours, or whatever. So the power company gets a coal plant going to make up the difference. Power shortages are not going to happen, trust me on this, I work in the industry.

But the reporter is correct that Britain is going to have a balance of payments problem as domestic gas (and oil) production decline while consumption increases. We will increasingly have to buy in oil and gas at probably higher and higher prices, which means we are going to have to export more to keep in balance.

No doubt the glib response of the economist is to note that as the oil and gas industries decline, resources will go into developing new industries that will produce those exports. Observing the weakness of British manufacturing, I find their faith touching and I do hope they are right. But that still leaves the problem of being dependent for supply from far away.

[clv101]

I wouldn't worry yourselves unduly. These sorts of reports are written by muppets who don't understand how the industry operates. For instance, we have storage capacity for two weeks' national gas consumption...

Which we use as business as usual through a normal winter.

A large amount of gas is burned by power stations on interruptible contracts. That means the gas supplier sees a peak coming and gives the power company notice that its gas is going off in 24 hours, or whatever.

Interruptible contracts are largely a thing of the past now, demand destruction is primarily achieved through pricing rather than disconnection with CCGT picking up most of the reduction.

Power shortages are not going to happen, trust me on this, I work in the industry.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Excuse me if I don't share you optimism, where do you work? What do you make of the points in my article? Edited September 8, 2005 by clv101

[oracle]

Or get some of these;

inverters

and a couple of heavy duty car batteries.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

nice thought but won't give you much output from the batteries....if you run the inverters top whack(300w)

you'll only get about 2 hours of useful life from the batts.

cheap generator would be better.....diesel one if possible and convert it to chip-oil.

[Sledgehead]

"The solution will probably be a substantial reduction in the use of gas for electricity generation and an increase in imports of coal. The implications for the UK's balance of payments are frightening."

...

Forward prices are soaring in Britain ...Consumers are already experiencing steep increases. UK gas and electricity have doubled in price over the past 18 months, "

So that's downward pressure on sterling and higher energy prices. Would it be rash to suggest both are inflationary, perchance, oui, non??? ... (you never know, the gov of Philly (think it was that one) last time claimed higher fuel prices to be a "tax", and presumably therefore disinflationary.... ho hum)

This MPC meeting, the 5 doves: "See Merv, it was just as well we cut rates whilst we still could. "

Edited September 8, 2005 by Sledgehead

[Neil D Possitt]

nice thought but won't give you much output from the batteries....if you run the inverters top whack(300w)

you'll only get about 2 hours of useful life from the batts.

cheap generator would be better.....diesel one if possible and convert it to chip-oil.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For shortish periods I thought of leaving the car ticking over in the drive with the inverter connected to the battery, its a fairly economical diesel, not as fuel efficient as a purpose designed generator admittedly, but not too bad for the occasional power cut. There's nothing to stop me running that on chip oil either, while its parked off the road.

[Sledgehead]

For shortish periods I thought of leaving the car ticking over in the drive with the inverter connected to the battery, its a fairly economical diesel, not as fuel efficient as a purpose designed generator admittedly, but not too bad for the occasional power cut. There's nothing to stop me running that on chip oil either, while its parked off the road.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You guys are like so "guerilla."

I bet you have your own arsenal and keep a look out for the feds too.

[Guest Charlie The Tramp]

Power shortages are not going to happen, trust me on this, I work in the industry.

Big drop in demand over the years due to decimation of British Industry. Manufacturing Industry was the biggest consumer.

Shutdown of many Power Stations in the past. ( WTH happened to West Thurrock PS )

As many come to the end of their working life, I believe 30 years, what plans to replace them.

As a PS Manager told me three years ago, one bad winter and we are in the s**t in confidence of course.

For shortish periods I thought of leaving the car ticking over in the drive with the inverter connected to the battery, its a fairly economical diesel, not as fuel efficient as a purpose designed generator admittedly, but not too bad for the occasional power cut. There's nothing to stop me running that on chip oil either, while its parked off the road.

Hope you have a very high output alternator, they are expensive to replace when burnt out. Inverters are like giant hoovers.

[Neil D Possitt]

You guys are like so "guerilla."

I bet you have your own arsenal and keep a look out for the feds too. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You'll be glad of us when the balloon goes up

Psssst,

want to join our secret army??

[MarkG]

As a PS Manager told me three years ago, one bad winter and we are in the s**t in confidence of course.

Don't worry, 'global warming' will save us: remember, temperatures only ever go up!

[Neil D Possitt]

Hope you have a very high output alternator, they are expensive to replace when burnt out. Inverters are like giant hoovers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

About 90 amp if I remember rightly, that should be able to cope with about 300W surely??

.......sorry everyone this seems to be drifting even further off-topic

[Guest Charlie The Tramp]

About 90 amp if I remember rightly, that should be able to cope with about 300W surely??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No problem at 2000 revs.

[right_freds_dead]

why not get one of those new clockwork torches. a clockwork radio and a clockwork clock.

plus candles, matches, sardines and toilet paper. keep your radio tuned for news and instruction from your local authority.

[Neil D Possitt]

why not get one of those new clockwork torches. a clockwork radio and a clockwork clock.

plus candles, matches, sardines and toilet paper. keep your radio tuned for news and instruction from your local authority.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't trust my local authority to organise a p*ss up in a brewery, plus I want to be able to watch DVD's and use my electric tin opener etc until the all clear is sounded......

[Neil D Possitt]

No problem at 2000 revs. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So its brick on the accelerator pedal time then ?!

[Guest Bart of Darkness]

why not get one of those new clockwork torches. a clockwork radio and a clockwork clock. plus candles, matches, sardines and toilet paper. keep your radio tuned for news and instruction from your local authority.

I'd be better off giving my local authority some instructions.

Something might get done then.

[Rain'ard]

During the seventies power cuts. I used a 230v relay in wired in parallel with a battery charger connected to a 60 ampere hour car battery.

I had a string of 3 12v 40 watt car headlight bulbs connected to the battery terminals via a normally closed contact on the relay.

When the mains was on the relay was energised the normally closed contact opened, breaking the circuit on the 3 lights and charged the battery.

When the power cut came the battery stopped charging and the relay contact closed to allow current to the string of bulbs.

This lasted the whole four hours of the power cut.

As you may know a 12 volt 40w bulb will give the same amount of light as similar type of bulb at 230v.

[right_freds_dead]

it seems strange that in a world of super high millionaire flatlets and barrat boxes for 10x our wages, that we would be also looking at power cuts, oil shortages, terror war and a retail collapse.

but housing is hot property.....they keep bleating.

[SarahBell]

http://www.whispergen.com/main/microchp/

one of these sounds great until you realise you need gas...

[M31]

Good thing we shut all the coal mines in the 80's.

Now why did we do that? Oh, Mr. Norris’s and Mrs. T’s dislike for unions. Shame we didn’t mothball the mines for later use. Apparently it will be very costly (if at all possible) to reopen them now – especially if they are under a housing estate!