Smart Meters

[Hymie]

The National Grid has advised of a potential generation shortfall for later today, that could result in power cuts for some.

Back in the day, this was achieved by switching off the electrical supply at selected sub-stations - now they can cut the power to those with a smart meter at the push of a button.

No such problems for me; my electrical power will continue, unless the whole local area fails for some reason.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-14261901/British-grid-operator-asks-companies-make-power-available-late-Wednesday.html

[brainiac]

It's more Dunkelflaute - no sun, no wind.   And the eco-zealots have closed down perfectly good coal-fired power stations.

[newmodarmy]

Let us know when it happens Hymie. I won't hold mt breath though. My smart meter allows the supplier to offer me rewards if I shift electricity use from peak to off peak times. I'd rather focus on the positives than take notice of scare stories from those ideological opposed to them. Is it any worse than the ability of your phone provider or credit card company to suspend your account when demand is higher than supply?

[perseverer]

Read the article. They want to increase the safety margin available.

[chelle7272]

//It does not signal that blackouts are imminent or that there is not enough generation to meet current demand//

Where does it say that? 

From the link 'It does not signal that blackouts are imminent or that there is not enough generation to meet current demand'

 

My supplier offers me credit if I try to use less electricity during times when there is a shortfall, it seems to have worked so far the last couple of years.

 

 

[barry1010]

No problem for me with my smart meter - we are guaranteed not to be electively cut off as there are vulnerable people in the house

[Canary42]

More disinformation from. Social Media.

Never mind, Musk and Trump are coming for you.

[New Judge]

If cuts are to be implemented they will be made on an area basis as you described. The authorities will not go to the trouble of isolating individual consumers.

However, the excrement is now beginning to hit the air conditioning. Your post is timely as great fanfares were blasted only yesterday when it was announced that so-called “clean” energy sources provided the majority of electricity last year:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3e3g9xv3ylo

“The government considers clean electricity to include renewables, such as wind, solar, hydropower and bioenergy, as well as nuclear power.

Together, these sources generated around 56% of Great Britain's electricity in 2024 - a new high, according to preliminary Neso data that will be confirmed this week.”

All well and good (leaving aside the contention that felling timber in North America and burning it in Yorkshire is a “clean” source of energy). Except…

As I write, the two principle sources of clean energy, wind and solar, are meeting, respectively, 3% and 6% of the country’s total demand. Electricity brought from abroad via interconnectors (some of it generated using coal), provides 13% and gas a full 54%.

The country (its taxpayers and energy consumers) have invested over £200bn in wind and solar. And here it is, providing less than 10% of the country’s demand. This is by no means an isolated occurrence. There were lengthy periods last November and December when those two sources combined produced single figure percentages of demand. 

Yet Mr Miliband proposes spending four times as much again on these facilities accompanied by the ludicrous claim that it will lead to cheaper energy.

The country should stand by for more of these threats because the greater the proportion of demand that is met by intermittent supply sources, the greater the threat of demand outstripping supply. 

[New Judge]

"More disinformation from. Social Media."

Well you might consider Reuters and the Daily Mail as "Social media" so here's something perhaps a ltle less contentious:

https://theenergyst.com/todays-electricity-margin-notice-reflects-nesos-concern-about-a-shortfall-in-generation/

“NESO’s decision to manually issue an Electricity Margin Notice (EMN) at 20:29 yesterday for today, instead of the more familiar automated Capacity Market Notice (CMN), reflects the UK grid operator’s concern about a potential generation shortfall, as high energy demand clashes with periods of dwindling low wind output. A CMN has also been triggered at 12:04 today, and cancelled at 12:32pm. However the EMN remains, and is a stronger signal to the market."

“Wind power is forecast to drop to just 1.6-2.6GW late afternoon and early evening, while demand is expected to peak at 46.5GW. This leaves the NESO with a thin margin of only 510MW at 17:00, with a current loss of load probability of 29%, which is the chance of power shortages or “load shedding,” where electricity supply may need to be restricted in certain areas. This is very unlikely to happen, and this number will likely drop later in the day as the market reacts to the notice."

“It is important to note that the EMN does not mean that there is a high risk of blackouts, but just reflects concern by the Control Room Engineers at NESO and a call to action for the market to respond.”

So perhaps not as sensaionalist as the popular press would like you to believe, but the UK should never be in the position where meeting demand is so critically balanced.

[youngmafbog]

More TDS from Canary, does Trump live in your head, he has nothing to do with this you know.

Although it probably wont happen just yet believe me Smart meters will be used to control when and how you use electricity in the future.

We dont make enough as it is but Mad Milliband and his bunch od Eco nutters are proposing we use more EV's, heat pumps and stop gas. Utter madness, and when this starts to bite electricity will be rationed.

//The authorities will not go to the trouble of isolating individual consumers.//

Well yes and no.  It really isnt difficult to write a program to do this automatically you know. Probably take me a day to spec it, write it and test it.

[New Judge]

//The authorities will not go to the trouble of isolating individual consumers.//

What I meant, youngmaf, was not on his occasion.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the intention is to use them to control demand at some point. There is no other reason to push so hard for consumers to have them fitted as they have no advantages apart from removing the tiresome task of having to look under your stairs and take a meter reading now and then.

PS - as I write solar (naturally) is down to 0% and wind 3%. So £200bn to meet 3% of demand - a bargain. Meanwhile gas is up to 57%

 

 

[youngmafbog]

And gas is costing us a £millions they are having to pay the generating companies to generate the gap.

Madness, Mad Miliband needs removing.

[Old_Geezer]

Clearly the National Grid isn't up to the task if it is getting near to that stage. Sounds like modern UK to me.

[Hymie]

Just wait until everyone is forced to buy an EV - what will the national grid do then?

[New Judge]

"Just wait until everyone is forced to buy an EV..."

I actually do not think that will happen until at least 2060, if ever, Hymie.

The government is about to announce the abandonment of the ban on the sale of gas boilers, due in 2035. They will dress it up somehow but the long and the short of it is that very few people will be daft enought to rely on a heat pump to heat their homes. For the majority of homes they will not work unless substantial alterations are made to its insulation and existing heating system. Even then, they will not cope with the sort of low temperatures most of the country is currently experiencing and auxilliary heating will be necessary.

So it will be with EVs. I believe a point will be reached, probably in a year or two, when all the drivers who can and want to make the switch will have done so. After that very few EVs will be sold which are replacing IC cars and the only ones sold will be to replace the existing EVs of those who have already made the switch.

This country is simply not in a position to make large scale switching to EVs and heat pumps a realistic proposition. There are immense practical problems with the products themselves and the grid is simply not up to meeting the increased demand.

Hopefully the time will come when enough people realise that making the country colder and considerably poorer for no purpose whatsoever is all a bit silly.