Energy expert shares apocalyptic scenario if UK’s power went down | UK | News
In recent years, there has been increasing speculation about the resilience of the UK’s energy network, even though the majority of electricity is produced from renewable sources. Many of these concerns stem from rising global tensions, which have raised questions about whether the system can withstand malicious attacks or extreme weather events.
In this context, a co-director of the UK Energy Research Center warned that in the event of a major power outage the situation could be similar to blackouts seen in Spain and Portugal in recent years, with people trapped in lifts and trains grinding to a halt. These outages occurred as a result of the sudden disruption of electricity supplies on the Iberian peninsula, causing widespread outage and raising concerns about how a similar scenario could play out in the UK.
Professor Bell explained I: “It would be pretty similar to how things look in Spain and Portugal. You’re stuck in the elevators, no matter where in the shaft. Trains are stopped; you could be on a diesel train but the signaling is electric.”
“In 2003 there was a local power problem that only affected parts of London, but it was a hot August day and people were stuck in the sweltering heat. [underground] tunnels without air conditioning.”
Professor Bell warned that as well as transport being disrupted, daily basic needs will also be affected as refrigerators stop cooling food and communication systems become unreliable.
He said: “Fridges will stop working so you’re worried about food spoiling… Your Wi-Fi doesn’t work either. Communication becomes difficult because if your phone has a battery you can still try to find out what’s going on, but you’re dependent on mobile phone networks keeping them working.”
Professor Bell’s comments come as many households face rising energy bills due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. They also follow remarks by Energy Secretary Michael Shanks, who argued that renewable energy could strengthen the UK’s national security by making the system less vulnerable to attack.
That’s because targeting solar panels and wind farms is harder than targeting fossil-fuel power plants, Mr. Shanks said.
Speaking from Ukraine, which has been subjected to repeated Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure Guard: “Building a decentralized energy system with a set of assets poses less risk of physical attack compared to large-scale power plants.
“Moving towards clean energy is the best way to ensure our energy security in an increasingly uncertain world… [Ukraine] “We are building decarbonized infrastructure across the country because targeting solar, wind and batteries is much more difficult than targeting large-scale power plants.”
Mr Shanks added that the UK could learn valuable lessons from Ukraine, not only in improving resilience to attacks but also in strengthening overall energy security.
