The Generation Game - the problems of grid balancing

On a beautiful Mothering Sunday afternoon about 25 curious people met in Llangammarch, to play an intriguing and informative board game.  It's the brainchild of Richard Martin who spent his working life in the energy supply industry, actively managing the grid supply. His game provides an inventive way of probing the difficulties of balancing the grid while at the same time producing electricity with the lowest possible carbon emissions (remembering the aim to get to net-zero by 2030) and as cheaply as possible.  

The players soon found themselves grappling with the real problems of over or under capacity brought about by seasonal or even minute by minute  variations in demand and supply.   Lorna Brazell, Secretary of the Cambrian  Mountains Society was amongst the participants and has written an incisive and thought-provoking account of the afternoon, which first appeared in Bylines Cymru.  Please find it here: 

 https://bylines.cymru/politics-and-society/generation-game-wales-energy/

If you are interested in playing the game yourself please email us: rethinkwales@gmail.com.