In the R4 TODAY piece with Nicola Shaw and the MD of Aggregates (something or other) I was taken by the nonsense of many things that were said. Did anyone else choke on the incredulity of the MD of the the company making Bitumen claiming that she was doing her bit for lowering carbon?
Did anyone else wonder just how insurance companies are going to react to homes filled with batteries constantly being charged and discharged?
And, when Nicola Shaw banged on about smart energy use to match the needs of the 21st century - which, she said, included electric vehicles - didn't she think for one minute that a surge in the take up of electric vehicles will totally screw her plans (if indeed she has any) for how the grid is going to deliver power from non-existent power stations.

At least I managed to start the day by shouting at Horrible.

Phillip Bratby. Complacency isn't half of it, it's more like fantasy. All we can hope for in energy policy is an application of emergency brakes and a U-turn in the face of the Green juggernaut. Can't see it happening myself.

ACK, fibre glass boats, cars etc do burn, but the actual raw fibres do not. It is the resin binders that burn with copious amounts of acrid fumes.

The Flash Point Temperature of the liquid resins is lower than that of a hot bath. DIY fibreglassing repairs, or canoe building etc has burnt down a lot of garden sheds etc.

In other words, we need to ration our use of electricity, or have it rationed for us, because our National suppliers of electricity can not provide us with supplies that are reliable, having relied on the Green Blob for energy advice.

Could we try compulsory power cuts for the Green Blob experts and their employers, and see if anybody notices?

At the very least, Smart Meters should be programmed to cut their supplies, at the first signs of supply shortfall, I really don't think it will damage the economy or productivity at all, in fact, it may even improve.

All these plans also totally ignore logical time frams. a) the equipment doesn't yet exist, b) people need to agree to those new restrictions c) all the bugs need to be sorted d) it takes between 10 and 20 years to replace appliances. How's that going to solve energy shotages in the next 20-30 years.

And that's just domestic energy use. Business energy consumption is much harder to restructure.

I'm alarmed that Nicola Shaw, executive director of the National Grid is pinning our future on smart appliances. She thinks 'an "internet of energy" will allow fridges, washers and dishwashers to help balance energy demand.' To which I say bollo....

'she argued that between 30% and 50% of fluctuations on the electricity grid could be smoothed by households and businesses adjusting their demand at peak times.'

People need to use their equipment when they need it. We're specifically told not to leave appliances to work over night. Washing machines have been designed to use more electricity, not less as they now only use cold feed water. Are people supposed to store up a weeks worth of washing or stay up until the early morning to unload their washer? What about those with babies, especially those who've been fooled into buying non disposable nappes? Fridges and freezers are at their peak when people are using them, especially putting in their shopping. Are they supposed to hold off cooling things? What about food safety? Are we supposed to eat our dinner at midnight? Or just nuke something at about 7pm? And what about the gas free revolution? Will we have to shiver till it's off peak?

Smart energy revolution

When the executives of the Grid want to rely on dubious predictions in consumer trends, be afraid, be very afraid.

PCar. Downward striking lightning commonly does not hit the highest points of an object. Your explanation also fails when dealing with upward strikes.

Regarding burning blades, what you conveyed was that the blade materials would not burn but perhaps the resin binder might. The photographs definitively show blades burning even if it were only the resin. It has been suggested here that some blades are made of a carbon fibre composite. That will burn.

Written before coffee but with brain fully engaged.

Pcar, when I grabbed and used what turned out to be a CO2 Fire Extinguisher, I had no idea about what type it was. I pulled the pin, squeezed the trigger, and held onto the cone like a rifle to aim it. A bucket of water would have sufficed, but a bucket and tap was further away.

I was 20ish, and had done CPR training through school etc 4-5 times, First Aid Courses, Scuba Diving First Aid, umpteen Fire Drills and Evacuations, but NEVER any training on extinguishing a small fire.

A lot of money is spent on providing good quality and appropriate Fire Extinguishers, that nobody will ever use, because they are told not to, and never told how to, for fear they will risk their lives by trying. I am glad to have done a 2 Day Marine Fire Fighting Course, which did involve putting out a chip pan fire with a fire blanket. Another popular piece of kit that very few people know how to use.