BREAKING NEWS: The UK risks running out of energy capacity

[adam2]

Hospitals do indeed have backup power supplies, sometimes these even work !
It is usuall to provide a battery backed backed UPS for operating theatre lights, life support machines, and IT stuff, together with diesel generation for the more important other loads.

The great storm of 1987 was interesting.
The power failed overnight to London, whilst most people were in bed.
Therefore few persons stuck in lifts, on the underground etc.

AFAIR a few buses ran but all other public transport was closed in or near London.
I got to work easlily if expensivly by taxi, was the only employee who arrived more or less on time.
Emergency lighting at work had run down before I arrived, fortunatly I had a torch, and stored at work more torches and also oil lanterns.
I cooked breakfast for all, on a camp fire in the car park, most entertaining. I think that this may have been the only time in my life that I have taken strong drink with breakfast, bacon, eggs, fried bread, tomatoes, and brandy. All most nourishing.
Then stayed in the pub from opening time until the power cam back on about mid afternoon.

[mobbsey]

But some of those slides in the presentation were proclaiming some huge loss in capacity by 2010.

It depends whether you're looking in terms of percentages or absolute measurements, because there's been a decline in consumption since the 2008 crash. UK final power consumption was lower in 2011 than in 2000! Consequently we haven't "noticed" the retirement of some capacity because we've been below the levels of consumption that got everyone worried about power supply in the early 2000s.

If the politicos get their cherished dream of high economic growth {:lol:} the infrastructure bottlenecks such as energy supply will very quickly choke-off demand. Good for the climate, not good if you aspire to be affluent!

[RenewableCandy]

Blimey, so it was! So it's been about 1 TWh per day for years.

[MisterE]

Bang on Adam, not news to many of us

Not news to me !
It has been forecast for years, on these forums and elswhere.

Indeed, I would suggest that we would be facing shortages right now if it were not for the economic situation reducing demand.

Wind helps, every MGWH of wind generated electricity is a corrsponding amount of natural gas not burnt and therefore still in storage for calm weather.

Building more baseload natural gas power plants is not such a good idea due to concerns over price and availability of gas.

Time to plant lots trees for wood fuel
Time to abolish planning restrictions on wind and solar equipment.
Time to buy a generator

Time to buy shares in Aggreko*
Time to buy candles, oil lamps and batteries
Waiting for the lights to go out.

* if seriously considering, take independant financial advice