Power cuts

[sp1214]

With over 500,000 people losing their power supply this week how is it possible that the malfuction of one power station can cause the 2nd to shut down almost at the same time?

[Rtaxron]

Where and when sp1214,

I have not heard about this?

[4candles]

It was coincidence, not cause and effect.

It was a huge coincidence. A couple of large power stations just within a few minutes of each other suffered breakdowns and the loss of power was more than the system is designed to take.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7423169.stm

[sp1214]

I cannot believe it was just coincidence. There must be another reason.

[webdude]

What many people either don�t understand or simply forget, is that electricity is a fuel which can only be produced in real time. All other fuels, gas, coal, petrol etc can all be manufactured and stored - we still have no means of storing mains electricity.

In order for us to enjoy a flicker free mains power supply, the generating companies have to constantly measure the load being drawn by consumers at any one time, and together with computer predictions for time of year, temperature etc, they are responsible for maintaining a generated power level just in excess of the real time demand load factor.

If as the other day, not one but two significant generating stations fail, then it becomes impossible to maintain the wattage supplied to the national grid and at the stipulated 240 volts. Hence automatic protection devices will trip and shut down areas of the country where supplies cannot be maintained.

We are all living on a knife edge these days, especially now where our ageing nuclear generating plants will soon be de-commissioned, and we will be reliant upon foreign nations allowing us to buy into their power sources, until such time as the UK government has the guts to say that we need to start building more reactors now.

[sp1214]

I always remember a few years ago they had total blackouts in the USA because there was no fallback on extra demand. Not enough investment to cope with emergencies. Could the same be happening here?

[webdude]

Absolutely, new labour have been firmly sitting on the fence on this one for years, promoting alternative energy which will never have a hope of providing power in the face of increasing world demand for electricity. It was only towards the end of Blair�s era that he started making noises about more nuclear plants in the UK, and now good old Gordon Brown is saying the same but with a bit more sincerity, now that he can see the writing is on the wall.