I remember 1974 well. As an 8-year-old kid the frequent blackouts were something of an adventure, although I suspect my parents weren't quite so enthusiastic!

So are we heading in that direction now as Britain's National Grid reaches its limits?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rid-raises-spectre-blackouts-winter.html

Paul,
This doesn't surprise me one little bit.
It seems to be an international trend.
When winter hits town, that is when people use more heating in their houses, more lighting because it gets dark earlier and more home-cooked meals are most common during the winter months.

But, when a statement like "the National Grid will not be able to cope",is said, it worries me a tad and at the same time, makes me ask the question, why on earth is this occurring?

You don't have to even be an electrician to realise that the loads on power systems are rising all the time as new houses and commercial buildings get connected to them.

IMO, selling electricity these days, is about profit, not care of infra-structure, this way of working is going to blow back in some CEO's face one of these days.
{sarcasm}
But hey, the network is still working isn't it?, give this guy his Xmas bonus, all $3 million of it!
{/sarcasm}

Well, I'd agree there's a bit of a problem but the Daily Scare is not really a bastion of accurate scientific information.

Don't worry, it's cheaper to wait until the infrastructure fails, THEN replace it. So you won't have to worry about your rates going up to cover pre-emptive replacements of distribution infrastructure. Nope, it'll be nice and cheap. You *might* even get a free month this winter with 0 kWh of electricity to pay for!

If this doesn't happen now, it will when electric cars go mainstream. A portable generator for your home might not be a bad investment...

Yeah!,
Like that'll be happening some time soon.