Lights Out?

[Tim Watts]

The only thing the Sun can predict is big knockers on Page 3.

The Met forecast is predicting a warm weekend in Sussex with overnight lows of +12, not -15C.

So what are they babbling about?

[Andrew Gabriel]

Perhaps TNP can produce an alternative dumbed down page. It just needs a graphic of a fan and some shit heading in its direction. Fan speed and shit quantity represent the position we're currently in.

[Tim Watts]

That would be good :)

You could replace the wind-o-meter with a wilting wind turbine that only becomes fully erect if it's over 80% of max capacity.

The interconnector meters could be replaces by a little line of frenchmen and dutchmen passing lightbulbs along, bucket brigade style. Lightbulb direction and speed shows power.

Biomass could be shown as a little lumberjack guy hacking a canadian forest down.

[Bill Wright]

Wearing suspenders and a bra.

Bill

[philipuk]

All the papers print a it will be cold this winter story about now.... It sells papers.

Philip

[Tim Watts]

But the Sun said this weekend would be -15C.

[Jethro_uk]

On my old server I had the UPS software (NUT) log frequency and voltage every minute ... quite fascinating to see the swings.

[Jethro_uk]

Not the Express ?

"big freeze" is meaningless. There's a world of difference between a quick week of -10 with SNT or SNT+ either side, compared to 3 months of SNT-.

If anyone remembers the winter of 1986/87, it was on paper, quite mild. However it had an artic fortnight (ever seen Baker Street with undisturbed snow ? I did !) which made it seem "bad". I know, because I had to prepare graphs and so some sort of area calculation for British Gas.

[Simon Finnigan]

But after losing the power (and warming up a bit) they'll then have to draw more power to bring the temperature back down again, and presumably that would need doing very soon after the power saving measure was implemented. Might be difficult timing this so it doesn't go wrong :-)

[dennis]

That wasn't bad, I was plotting weather as part of my geography at school and that winter we had below zero all the time for about two months.

In the seventies we had tempretures so cold none condensing boiler flues froze.

I have had 5 foot of snow outside.

That is in west bromwich not scotland.

[Dave Liquorice]

I would also expect a big chilled distribution center to have it's own backup generators. I wouldn't be surprised if they get cheaper mains electricity for allowing the grid to disconnect them at minimal notice and get paid if they are diconnected. Pays for the diesel...

Also bear in mind that barring another Sizewell B/Longannet incident we are only talking about reducing demand during the hour or two of the evening peak, not reducing the overall demand.

[Dave Liquorice]

Agreed, the kick up the back side that is desperately required.

The media coverage, I've noticed a small change in the bias over the last year or so from "aren't all these wind mills great" to "nukes aren't all bad".

Controlled load shedding won't last more than an hour or two, no great shakes but The Great Unwashed not able to watch Corrie or Dead Enders it will seem like the end of the world. If the grid collapses, highly unlikely, that would be a different story.

I do find it strange that the retailers have all manner of "hard winter" stuff on the shelves, deicers, shovels, shoe grips, snowboards, tobogans, clothing, yet they don't have lanterns, long run time torches, camping stoves etc.

[Dave Liquorice]

Aye, townies really don't know what they are missing. Clear moonless night here and even before your night vision has properly developed the milky way is "just there". Once you have night vision I find that there are just so many stars I can't pick out the constelations.

Towns probably need some lighting but not to the level they are currently lit to and any external lights should only shine down.

[Dave Liquorice]

France 2 GW, Dutch 1 GW. I think the two Irish ones are 1 GW but the Irish don't have the capcity to export...

If it's that windy wind will have shut down...

[charles]

but, I don't need to buy these things. I have them already - and spare cylinders for my camping stove. what would be much more use is a small genny to keep the (gas) boiler going. I do have a 12v/ 240v inveerter in the garage somewhere which I could dig our and run it off the car bettery.

[jrwalliker]

But both our local Waitrose and Sainsburys have enormous (ISO shipping container sized) diesel generators outside. Sainsburys also have a massive fuel tank. Waitrose have replaced all their shop lighting with LEDs.

John

[dennis]

Its probably a sprinkler tank, they hold a few tens of thousands of litres of water.

[Dave Liquorice]

The "lights won't go out" coverage the day before yesterday said that the unit at Didcot was back. Yep:

Thought Ferrybridge (coal) had opted out and was also fairly close to being out of hours.

[Tim Watts]

It'll be like 1974 again - but this time they can't blame the unions.

Hmm. Could be time to buy a parafin lamp...

[Dave Liquorice]

Well, yes so do I but the vast majority of The Great Unwashed don't.

For a short time and may well kill the car battery, some really, really, don't like a deep discharge. Little genset would be better, could keep the fridges.freezers running and a light or two. Beware of the switch on surge from motors, a small genset already with a 100 W or so of load might object to another fridge starting up.