Security of electrical supply

[Geoff1946]

I've just been surprised to learn that there are serious UK power issues IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER. 

I've been concerned for a while that our grid network is running on a knife edge.

Our nuclear resources seem to be aged and unreliable. Coal fired power stations are being decommissioned on largely political grounds, whilst the only obvious replacement is wind power. As wind is frequent but unpredictable I see this as leaving us in the lap of the gods!

Anyway, to come to the point, for several years I've considered purchasing a generator so that as an absolute minimum I can operate my gas central heating in winter if and when electrical power fails. I've actually done nothing, and to date not had a problem, but just how near to the cliff edge are we?

What are the thoughts of other forum members?

Have you made provisions for your family's personal comforts if the power does go off?

 

[Andy™]

probably been caused by the lightning, although it could simply have been more demand than availablility.

even had a customer phone earlier with 'my alarm is going off'. eventually got it out of her that A: it says power failure on the display because there's a power cut and B: its not her alarm bellbox thats sounding, its the neighbours...

i do have a few generators & spare fuel so should e OK if need be

 

[Tony S]

Being registered as disabled Eon have to provide a temporary power supply after four hours.

Previously while living in the wilds at 1000Ft above MSL I had a 7kW Lister set permanently installed in an outhouse. In winter the power could be off for days on end. Normally the supply was TT, with the generator running it was TN-S.

Please make sure there can’t be a back feed in to the grid.

 

[Geoff1946]

Being registered as disabled Eon have to provide a temporary power supply after four hours.

Previously while living in the wilds at 1000Ft above MSL I had a 7kW Lister set permanently installed in an outhouse. In winter the power could be off for days on end. Normally the supply was TT, with the generator running it was TN-S.

Please make sure there can’t be a back feed in to the grid.

No, I'm not daft enough to just connect it to the house supply. What I was thinking was changing the boiler supply from a fused spur to a 13 amp plug so I could change it over to a separate supply. I do already have an invertor that would run the boiler and a leisure battery because I'm a caravanner in summer.  Anything more extensive would come later, and only if supply problems became really regular. I live in a suburban bungalow, so no remote location issues like you had.

 

[Andy™]

so it appears that a power station & wind farm failed at similar times, dropping frequncy to 48.91hz, shutting down part of the grid to loose demand. so it looks like we are running so close to demand with little spare capacity they the grid cant cope with failures. beginning of the end?

and the important questions that they ask

Lord Adonis, the Labour peer and former chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission <snip>

"Why that led to the heart of the national transport infrastructure being closed down is a big question that the grid has to answer," he said.

basically, if it didnt affect london and they just shut down wales, scotland, north etc, they wouldnt care...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49302996

 

[Tony S]

The grid is a very delicate balancing act. Some large plants have to contact their supplier to check there is enough spinning reserve to start the plant. Then there’s the Coronation Street add break factor.

 

[binky]

there is no incentive for private energy companies to maintain spare capaity, ie extra power stations, it's one of the daft things about energy not being under state control. Short term profit motives will always outweigh public need.