Learn how uninterruptible power supplies can help UK businesses tackle the winter energy crisis.
Analysts have warned of an impending energy emergency for years. And those fears seem to be coming to a head. Closing coal-fired power stations at Barking, Ferrybridge, and Littlebrook removed 2 gigawatts of electricity from the grid. Older nuclear plants went offline too.
As a consequence, spare capacity on the National Grid fell to just 1.2%. A harsh winter or unexpected event could leave us facing an energy crunch. That’s where the electricity the UK generates barely meets estimated demand.
An energy advisor to the government, Professor Ian Fells, believes there’s a 1-in-5 chance of power cuts during winter. As a result, ministers have brought in extra power to take contingency capacity up to 5%. However, a winter energy crisis ‘big freeze’ could still see mission-critical businesses hit by disturbances and downtime.
This video explains how a reliable uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an organisation’s essential safeguard against such problems. If winter does lead to blackouts and power cuts, a UPS immediately kicks in and delivers emergency backup power.
Video Transcript
It’s been across the news a lot recently. And with summer drawing to a close, now is the time to really think seriously about the energy crisis the UK may well face this winter.
It’s something the analysts have been predicting for years. And it appears that this perfect storm of energy issues is about to come to a head.
It is called the UK energy crunch, and in essence, it means electricity supply is predicted to barely meet demand.
There are a number of reasons for this current crisis. EU regulations have forced older coal-powered generating plants to close. Closure of plants including Barking power station, Ferrybridge, and Littlebrook means that around 2 gigawatts of power has come off the system since last year.
Older nuclear generation plants have also gone offline. Add to that the increased demand from industry and power-hungry data centres. These closures have left spare capacity on the UK grid system at just 1.2%.
Furthermore, forecasters predict that Britain could be in line to suffer a big blackout, similar to one that hit America back in 2014, as early as this winter.
The government’s energy advisor Professor Ian Fells recently made public his concern that there is now a 20% chance of power cuts this winter. He’s quoted as saying capacity in the UK system is falling and if a surge comes due to a bad winter then blackouts will be inevitable.
The government is taking this seriously, buying in extra power and getting contingency capacity up to 5%. But the risks and the stakes are high. And if there’s an unforeseen incident, such as an exceptionally bad winter or a fire at a major power station, then experts warn that we could see the National Grid relying on power rationing, particularly with large industrial companies.
If your business or public service has mission-critical services that rely on continuous power, then you still have time to assess how to ensure that you could survive a potential power disturbance.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from Riello UPS should be your first port of call.
Leo Craig, General Manager of Riello UPS Ltd, says: “Should the mains power fail, the UPS kicks in to provide instant emergency power, running for a few vital minutes to bridge the gap between emergency generators starting or to allow a controlled shutdown. It also corrects a number of other power problems such as surges, sags, and power spikes, which are equally as devastating on vital sensitive equipment.”
In a world facing uncertainty in its power supply, technologies such as UPS will be key to maintaining continuous operation. Particularly for businesses.
This technology not only has the power to protect information and equipment but can also smooth the electricity supply and act as an energy generator by feeding power back into the National Grid.
If businesses embrace these technologies they will help to power a greener future and a more secure energy supply. Keeping the lights shining brightly on business in Britain.
Call us today and we’ll help ensure you have the right level of power security for your business.
