Give me power!!

[preppingsu]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... se-23.html

So as energy prices rise and people cut back are we considering alternative forms of power for the future. Following on from the decision from 2 power companies not to build nuclear power stations, the uk will be hitting an energy crisis in the future.
So what are we doing now to prepare for the future?

I have a multi fuel stove for heating in the main living area and have already brought next winters wood which is seasoning in the garden.
Cooking is an issue. Although we have a camping stove the gas will eventually run out and my not be replaceable. This summer I am building a clay oven in the garden and a more long term BBQ area/pit. I'll post photos as I go. So that may be the answer to my cooking problems. Ideally I would like an Aga or equivalent but cost prohibits that!

Solar is something I want to work towards but cost again!!

What are your thoughts?

[Chef]

With cost prohibiting an AGA or Solar Power, then your ideas of a clay oven and a BBQ/Cooking pit are good, you could also look into solar ovens, you can make them yourself, but no good on dark days, learning to cook with a Dutch oven is a bit hit n miss at first but once you get the hang of them they're awesome tools.

You might be lucky and find a 2nd hand AGA or Rayburn that's not too pricey?

When I was looking into solar powering a freezer it was prohibitively expensive, to be able to run a cooker from solar would be extortionate, it's definately not gonna be an easy thing to contend with.

K

[the-gnole]

Don't worry about it too much, the two companies that pulled the plug on investing in the building of two power stations were German, they are expecting that other companies will see the opportunity to invest in the best power generation method there is likely to be for a long time.

In the mean time it is now a good time to encourage friends and family to switch from the heavy use of fossil fuel sucking appliances to stuff that uses less power so that the need for more and more stations is reduced.

There real is no really more viable option than to go down the nuclear route, the french did it and now have a low carbon system that they aren't paying huge extras on "Carbon taxes". Gas, coal, wind and solar are not viabler options in the long term. for cheaper sustainable power, tidal might be good for local usage but as a major addition to the "National" grid it is small.

Small local alternatives are expensive, not sustainable if the masses want it as well, wood burners may sound a great idea, but they do burn out eventually, and steel is expensive and needs a lot of process from "Ore to stove", supply and demand of fuel is likely to be a major problem, solar power needs panels and batteries, and the batteries will need replacing every four or five years, so again in the long term is likely to be expensive and difficult on a major usage level.

Sounds all very negative, but that is the reality of the scenario

Population is going to be a massive problem, and will need to be addressed at some point, it is the Elephant in the room that no one wants to address.

[Chef]

Population is going to be a massive problem, and will need to be addressed at some point, it is the Elephant in the room that no one wants to address.

It's population and the explosion in it over the next 50 years that makes me think there will be a R.E.M event, India & China have always been heavily populated but look at the rest of the world up until the industrial age, it kept pretty balanced up until then.

Just skip forward if you want to about 2 mins 30 the world map kicks in I think?



If we don't build more nuclear power stations soon we really will be stuffed in about 50 years time.

K

[preppingsu]

Nuclear is certainly the way to go and I'm sure that will enrage many people. But we have to consider our own reliance on the grid.
Audit what you use daily that is reliant on power from else where. How many gadgets are actually necessary for survival or are they modern tech, that maybe enhances our lives.
Now consider what you would really need to make your life that little bit easier - I'm thinking a fridge or freezer, possible washing machine? How could that be powered if we didn't have the grid or what alternatives would there be.

I'm reading a book called 'Surviving off off grid' (and yes that is the title) by Michael Bunker. Heavily religious but if you read around that he makes a lot of sense about our reliance on unnecessary modern gadgets that eat away at our power, thus making us reliant on the national grid etc. By that he means big screen TVs etc. I would certainly reccomend it to have a read but filter out the religious stuff.

So if we want to become less reliant on a decreasing power supply (and maybe save us some money) what can we do?

[Chef]

I don't have any TV's, no music system, my boy and I have both have PCs, I have one for Linux too as a spare, they use mains power.

My laptop (when I get it back), my cameras, head torches, torches could be run from solar chargers, not too expensive an option.

I have an ceramic hob cooker, that would eat lots of mains power

I do have a microwave but very rarely use it, maybe for softening butter in winter, could easily do without it.

I have a washing machine, could be run from a genny, but have also had long spells without one and washed clothes in the bath or sink, so not a necessity.

Kettle & Toaster, both pretty juicy but could easily do without.

Fridge/Freezer, hmmm, not that juicy, could be powered by solar or genny but I went without when I first moved into my flat for a year, could do without would rather not.

Hoover, 2 halogen heaters and a dehumidifier, not very juicy, could do without.

That's the entire electrical contents of my flat, no electrical gardening tools, oh a set of hair clippers, can get manual ones or just shave the old swede with a razor like I normally do.

Lights, yep grid but can do without or use my rechargeable ones.

I don't think I'm that dependant on the grid really considering what most people have in their homes?

When I watched It's not easy being green and using the same test he was using I had a lower carbon footprint than Dick Strawbridge had even with his million £££ eco home.

K

[Ian]

The answer is simple but not acceptable to today's society.

We have to revert to the mindset of our parents and grandparents in most things. Frugality was the norm and not even commented on, it was the way we all did things then.

When our house was built in the 50's it was advertised as having full electric lighting and a two bar electric fire socket in the living room. That was all, just the one socket in the house. It is still there on its own 15A spur from the consumer unit.

That would be unacceptable these days, but was notable enough to be a USP then. I am afraid that society sees it as a step backwards to reduce energy usage. Governments have tried to be clever using social engineering such as 'carbon usage' and 'carbon foot print' as indicators to measure usage and intimating it is moral to reduce both. Taxation is failing also as a way to reduce growth as companies find it all too easy to pass the cost on to the consumer, have you ever though who directly buys the bulk of the fuel in the UK, not the consumer.

So we are now seeing a movement to no government planning intervention at all and supply and demand being the overriding social control which is, of course, short term. Thus water shortages, fuel shortages, electricity shortages, labour shortages even broadband shortages being the controlling factor on their growth.

People are beginning to react to those pressures, moving to a job nearer home, downsizing their income, driving less, replacing their material good less often. Only a few percentage points so far but measurable trends nonetheless. They will increase.

I think it will be bleak.

[diamond lil]

My elect usage is under a fiver a week, 3-5 units a day. Not because I'm "green" or anything morally upright but because I just can't be assed with gadgets and "stuff". If I was you Su then I'd go for another wee stove to cook on. You could burn wood or coal or old pallets or even rubbish.
Think back to the old days when people lived without gadgets - they had ways round problems and coped fine. A stove burning low all day with a pot of stew on the top and a kettle to the side = hot food and hot water and warm house from one fire and is PAYG, no bills!

[skippy]

We as a country and indeed across europe are some of the highest power consumers on the planet. I have to admit to being a high power user under normal circumstances.... (I am trying to kick the habit) ...... so the ability to power our own usage would be great but unlikely.
So what to do?
the obvious is to reduce the power consumption of our house...
CFL bulbs all round
Keep the freezer well stocked/ full
use timers to cut off appliances when we dont need them
switch off appliances instead of standby
use alternative fuels as far as conveniant.

However these things have to be measured very carefully..... there is no point driving to the woods miles away using petrol or diesel to then collect firewood (or buy it) to save on electricity. The maths often dont add up or make your net energy saving realy not worthwhile. (Better to make a special trip once a year with a van and trailer to collect a huge supply than 10 smaller loads.)


There are no easy answers



skippy

[nickdutch]

Solar:
Learn how to make your own panels with broken cells, tabbing wire, solder, plastic sheeting (or similar) and reclaimed wood. Learn the basic electronics and get a Grid Tie Inverter as a hedge against electric power rises.

Your out door stuff sounds great, but for me, cooking indoors is what I am more interested in as when winter comes, outdoors will be a right pain, so that's why I have an interest in alcohol (ethanol not methylated spirits) and will get a carbon monoxide detector just in case.

Still haven't got the still setup that i desperately want. That's gonna take time, energy, money and planning / thought.