People in the UK will soon have an exciting new game to play at home. It’s called “Powerless” and promises to be fun for the whole family.
As Britain embraces the future of renewable energy, notably wind and solar, the boring old days of flipping a switch and being rewarded with instant, reliable energy are over. The wind doesn’t blow all the time and solar power only works in, well, sunlight. This means green energy generation is unreliable:
…blackouts could become a feature of power systems that replace reliable coal plants with wind turbines in order to meet greenhouse gas targets.
That’s a quote from Steve Holliday, CEO of the UK National Grid. But don’t worry, because the government has a plan:
Under the so-called “smart grid” that the UK is developing, the government-regulated utility will be able to decide when and where power should be delivered, to ensure that it meets the highest social purpose. Governments may, for example, decide that the needs of key industries take precedence over others, or that the needs of industry trump that of residential consumers. Governments would also be able to price power prohibitively if it is used for non-essential purposes.