When the lights go out.

[adam2]

Any generator is better than none, but for regular use, yes definatly get a diesel.
As above, the fuel is much safer to store, much cheaper, and also keeps better.
Red diesel is lawful to use in a generator, and much cheaper than road diesel.
Electricity generated from red diesel is not that much more expensive than grid power, certainly affordable in a power cut.
Electricity generated from a small petrol generator is very expensive, up a to £1 a KWH. Storing any large supply of petrol is illegal under any normal circumstances.
Large stashes of petrol make me nervous.

[emordnilap]

I just wish society could get serious about reducing electrical consumption to make it relatively easy for renewables to cover the vast majority of demand.

Agreed.

We have a major, un- (or at least, under-) discussed situation which was perfectly exemplified by a meeting I attended recently about the viability of shale gas in my county.

The meeting was held out in the furthest reach, on the Atlantic coast and was well attended by people from all over the country. They all arrived by car.

The irony and hypocrisy (sorry Biff) of saying an absolute 'no' to using indigenous sources of fossil fuels at the same time as a - usually - rabid 'yes' to using, say, Polish or Saudi or Russian fossil sources need bringing out to the front of peoples' consciousnesses.

Despite being embedded this system, I am against use of both sources but appear to be in the minority. We need a third way, initially in the form of TEQs.