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Epsom & Ewell - getting to grips with the challenges of nuclear power (From Epsom Guardian)
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Epsom & Ewell - getting to grips with the challenges of nuclear power
12:07pm Friday 29th January 2010
Whether or not the UK runs the risk of "the lights going out" and other electric power crises within the next ten years or so is a moot point.
Some experts believe we can only keep all the lights on, all the TVS still blazing and our computers running after 2020 by a lot of new nuclear power stations.
At a public meeting of the Epsom & Ewell Energy group on 21st January, Mike Needham from WS Atkins gave a fascinating insight into the problems our electricity suppliers will be facing, as old power stations come to the end of their lives.
You too can have a go at seeing how to balance supply, on a brilliant BBC website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm you can see how to balance between existing fossil fuel power stations, renewables, nuclear, energy conservation - and buying in power from Europe (French nuclear generated electricity).
You can play about with the figures, get different mixes, and see how much of the UK's electricity demand is met, the CO2 emissions, and the degree of energy security it brings.
The issues are complicated, and it is by no means clear how the UK will manage. More nukes? More wind turbines? More wave power and the tidal barrage on the Severn?
This was one of a series of interesting, and topical, talks by the Energy group, in Epsom. They are free, and open to anyone interested in the issues. There is plenty of debate and discussion.
The next Energy Group talk will be on Wednesday March 10th, at WS Atkins' offices at Woodcote Grove, at 7.30pm. The subject will be electricity feed-in tariffs, and the speaker is Dave Timms from Friends of the Earth. Feed-in tariffs are the money you get back from the utility companies for selling surplus electricity you can generate at home (eg. photovoltaic) back to the grid. Everyone is welcome to attend. More details at www.epsom-ewellenergy.org.uk or for more information, email sarah.clayton7@ntlworld.com
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These articles were submitted by readers who have agreed to our terms of use. Its content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here. If you would like to become a contributor, contact Diana Jarvis at djarvis@london.newsquest.co.uk
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