Just yesterday households across the UK were paid to use less electricity from 17:00 and 18:00 Local Time. This was part of a scheme to conserve energy.
The
scheme is called Demand Flexibility Service and
its stated goal is to prevent an overload of the electric grid that supplies
the electricity. An overload and an eventual collapse could leave most of the
UK in darkness.
A total of 26 energy suppliers have signed up for the service.
According to National
Grid's electricity system operator, more than a million
households and businesses have signed up to refrain from using high-consumption
appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.
The
scheme has been extended to today, the targeted hours this time being 1630 to
1800 i.e. 30 minutes longer than yesterday.
Some
people across the UK could receive up to $24.76 for drastically reducing their
electricity usage yesterday evening.
This
is perhaps the first time in the history of the UK that practices have been put
in place.
This
is occurring at a time when parts of the UK experienced their coldest night in
12 years on Sunday night (January 22) as temperatures dropped to as
low as -8.4C in some parts.
Simultaneously three
coal-fired power plants in the UK have been ordered to
be prepared for emergencies.
The
National Grid insists that there are no chances of blackouts, but the fact that
they are urging consumers to cut down on consumption for two consecutive days
and are asking coal plants to be prepared shows that the crisis is grave.
Back
to the power saving scheme, the
National Grid’s website claims that the scheme “will allow consumers,
as well as some industrial and commercial users (through
suppliers/aggregators), to be incentivized for voluntarily flexing the time
when they use their electricity.”
Some
are predicting that similar energy-saving events could become a regular feature
of winters in the UK and is likely to run until March when spring begins and
the mercury rises.
So
why is the UK on the brink of such an energy crisis?
Quite
simply the overreliance on alternative/green energy and abrupt abandonment of conventional energy.
Last
year, various media outlets including the BBC carried
reports on an Oxford University study that stated switching from fossil fuels
to renewable energy could save the world as much as $12tn by 2050.
This
is the standard modus operandi for climate change advocates. They make predictions about a
very distant future that is unverifiable but compels people to fall in line for
a ‘better tomorrow’.
The
UK government invested heavily in wind turbines. The
National Grid claimed a record amount of wind-powered electricity in 2022. The
BBC reported that more electricity
came from renewable and nuclear power sources than from fossil fuels
gas and coal, the second highest after 2020.
Strong
winds can provide electricity to most of the UK. A mere two weeks ago stormy
conditions caused a record-breaking power generation.
When
the conditions are calmer i.e. the way it has been for the past week there is
no power generation at all. There seem to be no mechanisms to store the
excess power generated for times when there are no winds.
On Saturday the calmer conditions provided less than a quarter of
Britain's electricity. Since the weather was very cold it caused more natural
gas to be used to keep households warm.
Forecasts
say that the UK isn’t going to be very windy in the subsequent weeks. This is one
of the causes of the emergency that prompted voluntary Demand Flexibility
Service, which has been in the pipeline since last year.
A
country cannot depend on anything as arbitrary as wind for its energy which is
its lifeblood.
What
about other alternative energy sources.
Nuclear
electricity is regarded as a low-carbon source of energy for the UK, but
currently, it provides only 15% of the UK’s electricity. Besides, there are
serious concerns regarding safety risks and the cost of building and
maintaining nuclear power plants.
Solar
energy is out of the question because of the usually cloudy weather for most of
the year in the UK.
Some
in the UK are blaming Putin for it, as all Western governments seem to do
whenever they find themselves in a bother for which they are to blame.
Ever
since the war in Ukraine, Russia has reduced energy supplies to Europe in
response to punitive economic sanctions imposed on it by the West.
Nord
Stream 1, Russia's largest gas pipeline to Europe, was closed indefinitely last
September after unexplained leaks were found in it.
Nord
Stream 1 would normally supply European Union states with about 35 percent of
all the gas they import from Russia.
But
the UK was never dependent on Russia for oil and gas.
Yes
any disruption to the EU – or international supplies on the does affect
Britain, but it isn’t considerable.
In
the end, the fault lies with the powers that be in the UK who not only jumped
on the alternative power bandwagon but terminated sources of conventional
energy.
Each
year there are on average about 10,000
excess deaths caused by an inability to afford to heat homes. Yet nobody seems
to care.
Each
and every
coal mine was shut down even before the alternative was proven to be
reliable.
So why
did the powerful in the UK jump without seeing?
Are
they such true believers?
Perhaps
relentless indoctrination has caused some to become devotees.
It
is more likely that alternative energy producers donated generously to parties and
powerful individuals in the UK to further their agenda. Even UK conservatives such
as Boris Johnson supported these green initiatives.
The alternative
energy producers and advocates have close ties with the media to push their
message.
The
result is the UK finds itself on the brink of a crisis.
This
Demand Flexibility Service is being promoted as a grand idea where citizens are
contributing to a better future.
But
in reality is a cynical move to exploit those struggling to make
ends meet as a result of the massively inflated price of fuel, food, and
electricity. They know that these people have no option but to accept any scheme
that boosts savings.
In
the coming weeks expect large-scale publicity stunts to give the impression
that everyone is making sacrifices. Perhaps all of the UK will be asked to turn
off all lights for 10 minutes and a big deal will be made out of it on social
media with selfies in the dark.
After
that, regular people struggling due to the economy will make sacrifices while
the policymakers and the ‘elite’ remain unaffected.
It
seems unlikely that there will be mandates because it will compel the 'elites'
to make sacrifices and compromises.
If
the Democrats have their way this is what they will do in the US. In fact,
there are signs that this may be happening in California
As
always millions of regular people will be compelled to do the heavy lifting for
the follies of a few.
This
is once again it is a reminder of how big government works.
Like
most things, Trump predicted this years ago.
Also, appear on American Thinker
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