0:00:05 > 0:00:07The workshop is up and running.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10The research is getting us the answers.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13For the next eight weeks, we'll be bringing you
0:00:13 > 0:00:15the science behind the headlines.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17This week, Energy.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Every time we switch on a kettle or turn on the heating,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25we expect our electricity supply to work.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30We take it for granted that it will light our houses, cook our food,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32run our businesses and keep us alive.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38But in our lifetimes, this electricity supply is set to collapse
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and we are rapidly heading towards a power crisis.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46The nightmare scenario is that if our demand for electricity
0:00:46 > 0:00:49can no longer be met by our ability to supply it,
0:00:49 > 0:00:50then the lights go out.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Tonight, Bang Goes The Theory investigates this very real problem.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I'm at our National Grid to see for myself how they currently
0:00:59 > 0:01:05cope with the dwindling supply and our ever-growing daily demands.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07'I'm searching for new ideas to help us
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'get out of this looming crisis, by cutting down our needs.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:14If you added 400 buildings, each turning off their air
0:01:14 > 0:01:17conditioning for an hour, that would equate
0:01:17 > 0:01:20to taking a small power station off the Grid.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And by finding new, green solutions.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Look at that!
0:01:25 > 0:01:28One of the most exciting ideas is to use stuff
0:01:28 > 0:01:31that literally surrounds us.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Because if we don't get all of this right,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and fast, it could be catastrophic.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45# Wake up, it's a beautiful morning
0:01:45 > 0:01:48# Feel the sun shining for your eyes... #
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Dawn breaks and Britain gets going.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Breakfast time means the toaster's on, kettle's boiling
0:01:54 > 0:01:59and showers are pumping out hot water. All using electricity.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03'And all the electricity in the country is controlled here,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06'by this team of 25 people.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08'This is the National Grid.'
0:02:08 > 0:02:12This is one of the most secret locations in the UK.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15National Grid's control centre.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Up there on that board, you've got every single power
0:02:18 > 0:02:23station in the country and the demand at this precise moment.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25'Over 300 power stations
0:02:25 > 0:02:29'across the country turn coal, gas, nuclear and wind
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'into precious electricity.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33'And it's the job of these guys to send
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'that electricity from where it's made to where we need it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39'Down thousands of miles
0:02:39 > 0:02:44'of high voltage cable across the country, directly our homes.'
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Hello?
0:02:46 > 0:02:49'And on this particular cold winter morning, the demand for
0:02:49 > 0:02:55'electricity is skyrocketing, nearly doubling in just 90 minutes.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59'In charge of the Grid this morning is Rachel Morfill.'
0:02:59 > 0:03:01It's now 6:20 in the morning
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and we're coming into this big power increase. What are you calling on?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Which stations are you bringing online?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10What we have is we've got a whole variety of power stations.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Today, here we've got
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Ironbridge power station will be coming on fairly soon.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16West Burton there.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18We will just look at how much we need
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and make sure that's planned in.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23In winter, Britain uses on average
0:03:23 > 0:03:2850GW of electricity, that's 50 billion watts.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31The Grid meets the demand using -
0:03:31 > 0:03:347GW from nine nuclear power stations.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Coal power stations generate about 25GW.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Gas power stations make a little more.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46And renewables, including wind, provide around 10GW.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Another 6GW comes from abroad or other sources.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55At the moment, the Grid has more than enough power to supply
0:03:55 > 0:03:58all our needs, but over the next ten or 20 years,
0:03:58 > 0:03:59that will change.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Government have set ambitious carbon reduction targets -
0:04:06 > 0:04:10at least 34% less carbon emissions by 2020.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14To hit that target, we have to close almost
0:04:14 > 0:04:16all our coal power stations.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18And as our nuclear stations reach
0:04:18 > 0:04:22the end of their lives, almost all will need to be switched off too.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25So, within ten years,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Rachel and the team at the Grid might not have enough
0:04:29 > 0:04:31electricity to meet all our needs.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34And that could be catastrophic.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41'Day-to-day, to make there is no disruption,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45'Rachel and her team make a detailed energy plan, estimating
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'the amount of power they think the nation will need, minute-by-minute.'
0:04:50 > 0:04:53We've got years' worth of demand data and we'll use that then
0:04:53 > 0:04:56to build up what we think we're going to get today,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59looking at things like the weather, time of day,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03what day of the year it is, and make our forecast.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05'And as the morning progresses
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'and we as a nation settle down to work,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'the Grid's predictions help her manage any change in demand.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:16It's 11:20 and, if you take a look over here,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17the graph has really levelled off.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23Yes. During the morning into early evening, it does have quite
0:05:23 > 0:05:28a flat shape there, because people are now doing things consistently.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31People are sat at their offices, working.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33They're not changing their uses of electricity.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36So, we tend to get a flatter profile.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'This morning, the plateau is at about 45GW.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44'And this is mainly supplied by three key types of power station.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:50In terms of managing that power demand, what do you use?
0:05:50 > 0:05:55We've got a lot of our steady, reliable generators on.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58We've got a lot of gas, coal on,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and the nuclear that sits there as a base load.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05'And this is the heart of our looming energy problem.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10'Our base load is currently supplied by power stations that are closing.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:15So, why are we turning off our precious power stations?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Coal currently forms the backbone of our supply,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24providing the largest single power contribution.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27But coal is very dirty, with one of
0:06:27 > 0:06:30the largest carbon footprints of any fuel.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34So, to meet our 2020 carbon reduction targets,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37six major coal power stations are closing.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43The demise of those dirty old coal power stations means that
0:06:43 > 0:06:45over the next few years, we've got to find
0:06:45 > 0:06:4930-40% of our electricity from somewhere else.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54There are other options, one of which, like it or not, is nuclear.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59The UK nuclear industry currently produces just over 7GW
0:06:59 > 0:07:04of electricity, between 10-20% of our needs.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Once they're built, nuclear produces almost no carbon emissions at all.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11But there are other concerns.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Critics question nuclear's safety
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and the wisdom of storing radioactive waste indefinitely.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24But it's their efficiency that makes them so attractive.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29The key advantage of nuclear is its high energy density.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32It might sound remarkable, but my entire energy needs
0:07:32 > 0:07:38for a lifetime can be met by a piece of nuclear fuel the size of an egg.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40And if you were to compare that to coal, you'd be
0:07:40 > 0:07:46talking about 320,000 tonnes, the size of a five-storey building.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'But however effective they are, the truth is that eight
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'of our nine nuclear power stations are reaching the end of their lives
0:07:53 > 0:07:56'and will close in the next ten years.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'Last year the Government gave the go-ahead to build a new nuclear
0:07:59 > 0:08:01'power station at Hinckley in Somerset,
0:08:01 > 0:08:06'and has pledged to build more, producing 16GW.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'But the reality is that none of them will produce any
0:08:09 > 0:08:13'electricity for another 10 or 20 years, at the very earliest.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16'So, whatever you feel about nuclear,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20'it certainly isn't going to fill the energy deficit any time soon.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22'So, what about gas?'
0:08:22 > 0:08:26When it comes to flexibility, gas is incredibly useful.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Power from gas can be turned up or down within seconds,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and the stations themselves are relatively fast to build.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36So, gas is a cornerstone of the Grid.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43If you've ever cooked with gas, you'll know just how responsive
0:08:43 > 0:08:47it is to control, and it's much the same for a gas power station.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52'This tiny little jet engine was made to power a model aeroplane,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'but I've tweaked it to work as a mini power station.'
0:08:55 > 0:08:59The only thing we've added is this extra turbine blade here
0:08:59 > 0:09:03in the exhaust connected to a little generator for creating electricity.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05If I fire this thing up...
0:09:05 > 0:09:09ENGINE ROARS INTO LIFE
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Now we should get to see
0:09:10 > 0:09:14the tremendous advantage of gas turbine technology.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Unlike coal and nuclear, the power here can be ramped up...
0:09:34 > 0:09:37..and down almost instantly.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41So, if the Grid calls on gas to
0:09:41 > 0:09:46generate electricity, they can very accurately match demand with supply.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Here's a simple little version I've built here.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01What's at the front of the gas turbine is a compressor.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06The job of the compressor is to suck air into here, the combustion chamber.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10There, highly flammable gas is injected in.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I'm using propane.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17This goes in in scientifically measured quantities.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Then the gas-air mixture is ignited.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I'll wear goggles for this stage.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Excellent. Now, once that mixture is ignited it heats up and expands rapidly.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43The expansion drives through this turbine at the back.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47That's then rapidly rotated, that turns a little generator
0:10:47 > 0:10:49which produces electricity for our towns and cities.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54So all it takes to produce more electricity is more gas.
0:10:55 > 0:11:01Which can be done with the twiddle of a knob. Even on an industrial scale.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11This is one of the largest gas powered power stations in the country, Didcot B.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15So in here is the gas turbine.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18At the click of a mouse this turbine can produce over a gigawatt
0:11:18 > 0:11:24of electricity - enough to supply a town about size of Birmingham.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Which means the National Grid is constantly in contact with the Didcot B
0:11:28 > 0:11:33control room, fine tuning their supply to match the Grid's needs.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- What are they saying to you now? - That's another load instruction just arriving.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39So what's happening now?
0:11:39 > 0:11:42The National Grid is asking us to change load again.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47They want us to go to 600 MW from 655MW.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Does it sometimes get stressful to stay on target
0:11:50 > 0:11:52so you're not wasting energy?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54You've seen how easy it is to change load,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56it's as easy as clicking buttons.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Gas seems like an excellent source of electricity,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05but there is a problem. So far we've had it easy.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10For over 40 years, gas has generated up to a third of all our electricity
0:12:10 > 0:12:13because it's been readily available from the North Sea.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19But it's running out, some suggest we only have 15% left.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22So now we have to buy our gas from the open market.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Increasingly from Russia and the Middle East.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Transporting it thousands of miles, adds cost, makes supply insecure and
0:12:30 > 0:12:34of course is liable to the ups and downs of a jumpy financial market.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Meanwhile, scientists are looking into another untapped source
0:12:41 > 0:12:42closer to home.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45We've all seen the headlines in the news about fracking,
0:12:45 > 0:12:52using high pressure water to shatter the shale in the ground and releasing trapped shale gas.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But critics argue fracking has profound environmental consequences,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and many people just don't want it in their back yard.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Plus, scrambling for a fossil fuel with a high carbon footprint
0:13:09 > 0:13:12until it all runs out is not going to solve our sustainable energy problems.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16So what should we do?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Coal is cheap but dirty.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Gas is flexible but insecure,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23and it also has a carbon footprint.
0:13:23 > 0:13:29And nuclear, well, that could take a generation to get online, if we decide to go for it.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31So what about renewables?
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Could they meet the shortfall?
0:13:37 > 0:13:45The government is hoping that by 2020, 15% of all our electricity will come from renewables.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50They've invested in solar, tidal, and, most significantly for a
0:13:50 > 0:13:55country perched on the edge of a blustery Atlantic Ocean, wind power.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59But can wind deliver the kind of power we need to keep our lights on?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04We're on our way to Thanet Offshore Wind Farm.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06It's about 11km off Foreness Point in Kent.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09It's made up of 100 wind turbines.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Oh! Oh, I got soaked!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I know this is good for the turbines but it's not so good for me.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26When you get up this close to 100 wind turbines
0:14:26 > 0:14:31each towering over 80 metres above the surface of the sea,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35they really are quite spectacular.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Across the UK from Scotland to the English Channel, we have over 5,000
0:14:41 > 0:14:47wind turbines feeding the Grid, capable, on a windy day, of producing over 10GW of power.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55We're up to 28 knots today, that means these
0:14:55 > 0:14:57turbines will be operating at full output, which is 300MW which is
0:14:57 > 0:15:01enough to power a city the size of Sheffield.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It's a really really fantastic day for wind.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07It does sound like a win-win situation but wind is not
0:15:07 > 0:15:12constant, so how do we manage that inconsistency in power production?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15The more spread out you can have the wind farms the greater the chance
0:15:15 > 0:15:18that some will be blowing somewhere across Europe so the more you can link the better.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I've got a map over here if you want to have a look.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25As well as our turbines there are tens of thousands
0:15:25 > 0:15:29in Europe, in countries like Spain, German and Denmark.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34In Denmark there is a lot of turbines and it can produce
0:15:34 > 0:15:38more electricity from wind than the country actually needs.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41In which case it just exports its power to the surrounding markets.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47With a strong wind, Europe's turbines have the capacity to produce over 100
0:15:47 > 0:15:50gigawatts of power, twice what the entire UK needs!
0:15:50 > 0:15:54So linking all the European turbines would make a real difference.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57So the more interconnections we have the more
0:15:57 > 0:16:01we can then transport that power to the countries that need it.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10But even so, a European wide wind network is still vulnerable
0:16:10 > 0:16:11to totally windless days.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20To give you an idea of this intermittency problem take a look at my graph.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23This is the power produced by al the 5,000 turbines
0:16:23 > 0:16:26scattered across the UK during December last year
0:16:26 > 0:16:27when it was very windy.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Looking at the spikes a huge
0:16:31 > 0:16:35amount of power was generated, but often, when we least needed it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Now of course connecting to Europe will help a lot but
0:16:39 > 0:16:42there is another potential solution. What if we could store the energy
0:16:42 > 0:16:47produced on really windy days like this one and use it on less windy days?
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Some experts suggest that with massive storage, an expanded network
0:16:52 > 0:16:56of wind turbines it could easily delivery 10GW of consistent power.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02So, how far are we from getting storage on that kind of scale?
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Nowadays storing small amounts of electrical power is fairly easy.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10We use batteries.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15You pop them in the appliance you're interested in and fire it up and away you go.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But to store the vast quantities of energy
0:17:20 > 0:17:24required to smooth out the fluctuations in wind power
0:17:24 > 0:17:29would require not just millions but countless billions of batteries like this.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34So it's still a problem awaiting just the right solution.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39And for me one of the most exciting ideas being worked on at the moment is to
0:17:39 > 0:17:42use stuff that literally surrounds us.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48This is Highview Power's pilot Liquid Air Energy Storage plant in Slough.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53When electricity demand is low - like at night -
0:17:53 > 0:17:57it uses spare power to cool air into a liquid.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02This is stored until the Grid needs some help.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08Then it uses the liquid air to generate electricity. But how?
0:18:09 > 0:18:17Inside this insulated container at about minus 200 degrees we've got what is essentially liquid air.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Look at that!
0:18:22 > 0:18:26It boiling away furiously, at room temperature.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31As it boils, gas, air spews out.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37And the pressure as that gas expands can be extraordinarily powerful.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Here's how powerful.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Entertaining as it is to blow up a pop bottle, with a little more
0:18:50 > 0:18:55engineering you can get something a whole lot more useful out of liquid air.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Another pop bottle. This time,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01put liquid air in it again,
0:19:01 > 0:19:02screw a lid on
0:19:02 > 0:19:04but crucially this lid has a hole
0:19:04 > 0:19:07so as the air boils back to a gas
0:19:07 > 0:19:11the gas can rush up this hose.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13It then enters an old air motor of mine.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It's going to start turning that round. That's going to turn this crank,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and then ultimately it turns this electrical generator
0:19:21 > 0:19:25which, if it's going at the right speed, should light that light bulb.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29So the plan is liquid air to useful electricity.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Start releasing it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Look at that!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Sounds like a beautiful old steam engine!
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Which is sort of what it is. Just a lot colder.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Highview is only a pilot system but already it can store enough liquid
0:20:00 > 0:20:05air to generate enough electricity for 350 homes for four hours.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09We're going to have to scale that up hugely in order to smooth out
0:20:09 > 0:20:13the fluctuations in such intermittent source like wind power
0:20:13 > 0:20:15but it's a system that's really got potential.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Meanwhile back at the National Grid, as late afternoon turns into early
0:20:22 > 0:20:27evening our electricity demand shoots up over 50 GW.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Between 3 and 6 there is an overlap of activities
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Some of us are coming home, but many are still at work.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39If you look at the screens you can see how demand
0:20:39 > 0:20:42is starting to build, isn't it? And I guess that's
0:20:42 > 0:20:44because people are bringing their children home from school.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Just explain what accounts for the rest of that peak?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51As you said, schools coming in here, people coming home,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53things being switched on at home.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56As the light goes dim and dark, people will start
0:20:56 > 0:20:59switching on their lights, which carries that journey up.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04But you've still got people at work, so the offices and the industry are still going.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Rachel's team issue hundreds of instructions to power stations
0:21:07 > 0:21:11across the nation to keep the supply uninterrupted
0:21:11 > 0:21:13during this peak period
0:21:13 > 0:21:15which is taking the Grid to over 50 gigawatts.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19It's interesting because what we've seen happening here at National Grid
0:21:19 > 0:21:21is them adjusting the supply to meet the demand.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24But there is another way of doing things which, essentially,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27is flipping the whole thing on its head
0:21:27 > 0:21:31and that's adjusting the demand to meet the supply.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35This is the Park Plaza in central London.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39It's got over 1,000 bedrooms, a spa, a swimming pool,
0:21:39 > 0:21:40bars and restaurants.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45And as a building, it needs 1.4 megawatts of power to operate.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Now, imagine if this hotel turned off its air conditioning
0:21:48 > 0:21:51for just one hour. That would reduce the load on the Grid
0:21:51 > 0:21:55by 350 kilowatts. It may not sound like a huge amount,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58but what if it wasn't the only building doing that?
0:22:00 > 0:22:05So, from this rooftop, I can see another dozen or so hotels.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Add to that, this hospital, the Houses of Parliament,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12the office buildings that I can see, in my field of view, for example,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15if you added 400 buildings, each turning off
0:22:15 > 0:22:19their air conditioning for an hour, that would equate to a power saving
0:22:19 > 0:22:23of 140 megawatts, the equivalent of taking a small power station
0:22:23 > 0:22:25off the Grid for an hour.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And that's just with 400 buildings.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Think about how many there are in a city, far less in the entire country.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36It's what many people have been stressing IS the solution
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and it's now happening in the UK.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44This is the control room of KiWi Power in central London.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Set up just five years ago, this company has signed up
0:22:48 > 0:22:51hundreds of buildings and organisations who allow them
0:22:51 > 0:22:54to temporarily switch off their electrical devices
0:22:54 > 0:22:58to lower the demand when the National Grid is maxed out.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04So, we're talking about hotels, hospitals, shopping centres,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08airports, mines, distribution centres, water-treatment facilities,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10anyone that uses a lot of power.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13So, what exactly do you turn off and does it depend on the business?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15We always focus on nonessential loads.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18So, we'll focus on the kind of stuff we can turn down for half-an-hour
0:23:18 > 0:23:20or an hour without actually affecting output.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24So, when the Grid is looking for that extra energy,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- how does it work with you?- So, what will happen is National Grid
0:23:27 > 0:23:31will decide how much power they need at that specific point in time.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33They'll be short of 10 or 50 megawatts, or whatever it might be.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35They'll push a button in their control room
0:23:35 > 0:23:38which will feed into here. Our system will pick the sites
0:23:38 > 0:23:40that need to be dispatched and call them.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42MOBILE RINGS What's that?
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- That's an actual demand-response event.- Oh.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Everything's automated. However, the last signal is
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- somebody needs to call this number. I love it.- The signal that comes in
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- from the Grid to us, phone call. - This is brilliant. OK, so...
0:23:53 > 0:23:55"Are you sure you wish to dispatch contract S ban?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- Yes.- You are. Boom.- Marriott Hotel. What are we switching off
0:23:58 > 0:24:00at the Marriott right now? What have I just done?
0:24:00 > 0:24:02So, Park Plaza, we've got control
0:24:02 > 0:24:04of a lot of the air-conditioning system.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07All the equipment is being switched off automatically.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I can bring up the live consumption right now
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and we can see exactly what's happening.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Right at the end there, you can see the consumption
0:24:15 > 0:24:18has started to drop and about 200, 300 kilowatts
0:24:18 > 0:24:21has come off in just the one hotel.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- Can we check it out at the hotel... - Absolutely.- ..so I make sure
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- nobody's going, "I can tell, they've switched something off"? - Let's do it. Let's go.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31An hour or so later, have the staff and guests
0:24:31 > 0:24:33even noticed the difference?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Have you noticed the temperature change at all in this lobby
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- while you've been here?- No. - No? Nice, comfortable temperature?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Not too warm? Not too cold? Good to go?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- Haven't noticed anything.- Have you noticed anything change?- No.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47No? Good. That's the right answer!
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- Nothing.- No? Nothing tangible?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Have you noticed it getting warmer or colder or anything?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- No.- No? Good news.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59So, how does the future look for you? How would you roll this out?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01If you can imagine, not just a few hundred companies,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04but thousands or even tens of thousands of companies
0:25:04 > 0:25:07all operating, being aware of what's going on with the Grid.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09And then, beyond that, this being in every home,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12being in every fridge, every freezer, every washing machine.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Any appliance that uses some electricity being aware
0:25:14 > 0:25:16of what's going on at the Grid
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and adjusting its consumption accordingly.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It's still early days, but in the future,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23it's estimated that companies like Yoav's
0:25:23 > 0:25:25could substantially reduce the demand on the Grid
0:25:25 > 0:25:26at the touch of a button.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I'm very excited about what I've seen.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34You know, we still live in a consumer-driven society
0:25:34 > 0:25:37that pays very little attention to how much energy we waste
0:25:37 > 0:25:41and this is a very effective way of reducing our carbon footprint
0:25:41 > 0:25:43and the stress on the Grid
0:25:43 > 0:25:46by effectively managing our power consumption.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I just want to see all businesses doing this all year round
0:25:50 > 0:25:51and households too.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54It makes an awful lot of sense and it could save millions.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01Well, it's 8.20. The National Grid is beginning to wind down
0:26:01 > 0:26:03for the night. Over the next four hours,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06power consumption will drop by 50%
0:26:06 > 0:26:08to around 27 gig.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13So, slowly, one by one, power stations will be turned off.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Except there is just one drama to play out quite literally.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21EASTENDERS THEME TUNE PLAYS
0:26:23 > 0:26:26The key soaps often have what we call a TV pick up at the end of them
0:26:26 > 0:26:29where people finish watching the programme, go out,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32put on the kettles and we see a pick up in the demand.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35We have the TV in here, watching it,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38so that we can watch it with everyone else and be ready,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41finger on the button, to go when it finishes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Right. They're rolling. OK.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46So, how's it looking?
0:26:46 > 0:26:49There's definitely been a slight pick-up there.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52The white line on the graph shows the bump and to manage this,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Rachel effortlessly calls up a couple of stations
0:26:55 > 0:26:58which quickly deliver the electricity needed.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Oh. What's that?- This one here?- Yep.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04This is picking up.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08So, looking at that little bump, how much energy does that represent?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- How much have you brought on? - As a rough conversion, we use
0:27:11 > 0:27:14what we call our kettle count. About 80,000 kettles
0:27:14 > 0:27:17have been switched on just as EastEnders has finished.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Our National Grid is an amazing feat of engineering.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27It's powerful, flexible, robust and secure
0:27:27 > 0:27:31and it works so efficiently day after day, so effectively,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35that we easily forget how impressive it really is.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40But will our Grid be able to operate like this as power supplies dwindle?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The reality is that bold decisions need to be taken now
0:27:43 > 0:27:47to develop new, green electricity supplies
0:27:47 > 0:27:50or to rethink our carbon-reduction targets
0:27:50 > 0:27:55and perhaps use technology to reduce the demand.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Only then will our lights remain on long into the future.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Next week, we look at how science is helping us
0:28:02 > 0:28:05to fight back against cancer.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09In the last 40 years, survival rates for some cancers have doubled,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11but what does the future hold?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14And if you want to know how you can become a National Grid controller
0:28:14 > 0:28:18check out the website at /bang for our very own careers guide.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22And you can also find out how energy powers your postcode
0:28:22 > 0:28:23by following the links
0:28:23 > 0:28:27to the Open University's free, interactive learning pages.