Description: This is the 56th lecture in the series of Faraday Lectures by the Institution of Electrical Engineers presented by CEGB lecturers Peter Chester and Valerie Coleman. Other lecturers in the series included David Brown, Paul Haigh, Terry Langford, Dick Taylor, Roger Thornhill. The lecture toured the UK in 1984-1985 visiting 17 major towns and cities. It is estimated an audience of 80,000 people saw the lecture, with two-thirds being school children.
This film is of the lecture presented on 23 April 1985.
The film opens with an introduction by Professor John West, Vice Chancellor University of Bradford and IEE President 1984-1985.
Colour graphics and images show the various applications for electricity in the modern era and what it would look like if it disappeared. There is a brief overview of Michael Faraday and 19th century industrialisation with a timeline of electrical developments 1870s-1980s. Presenter Peter Chester gives a demonstration of Faraday's experiments showing a magnetic field, induction principle leading to the invention of the dynamo.
Topics covered include:
Units of electricity, how cost is calculated.
Meeting the demand for electrical consumption.
How is electricity generated?
Power station explanations and stills from interior of power stations.
Conversion to electricity.
Descriptions of nuclear, coal and oil power stations.
How the National Grid meets demand.
Film footage of London showing 'National control' - interior film footage of employees working at control panels supplying the nation's needs.
Power surges - and one real-life example from the Royal Wedding on 29 July 1981.
Fault-finding.
Electrical storage during quiet periods including an explanation of Dinorwig Power Station that can respond to demand rapidly providing 0-1 million kW in less than 10 seconds.
Environmental considerations for power stations.
Looking at cheaper/cleaner methods.
Nuclear power as one alternative.
Video footage of students visiting Hinkley Point power station to test radiation levels.
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