[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

'...With the switch from coal to gas [which can be more load-responsive] the benefits of night-time base-load became less so the dual-tariff approach was disfavoured.'

I was always told as an apprentice in the 1970s that street-lighting and night-time load were to be encouraged by the generating companies for this very reason: the inability of coal-fired plant to respond to load change.

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

'Add in overnight charging of electric cars...'

Evidently plans are afoot - and might actually be in place somewhere - to use electric cars as 'national grid storage facilities' so you can export back to the grid when you car is fully charged, although the two EV owners I know say this facility isn't actually in place yet where they live. Metering will have to cope with that.

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

'The 'Teleswitch' approach could, in theory, have been expanded to handle thisA Teleswitch can't 'tell' the grid...'

I seem to remember that when radio data over LF was developed and introduced, it might have other uses than to switch electricity meters, but I can't find anything about this in my scant notes!