What happens if there's a power cut? And is there enough energy to go around? - Fun Kids

Power cuts happen when the circuit which carries electricity to your house is broken. It can happen for lots of reasons.

Bad weather can cause overhead cables to be damaged when rubbish and branches are carried by the wind, whilst flood water can affect cables underground.

Sometimes workmen working around a road or farmers in the countryside can accidentally cut through the cables without realising.

Power companies do lots of things to prevent power cuts and to keep the supply going.

Often they use more than one circuit to feed a populated area – this might mean that whilst some houses in a road have a power cut, others might be unaffected.

Power companies also take care to make sure trees near power lines are cut back – they also have teams of engineers on call to fix problems as quickly as possible.

It is possible to run out of electricity – in some countries there are regular long power cuts because people need more electricity than can be supplied.

In the UK, this is pretty unlikely. The trouble is electricity can’t really be stored….

It has to be generated as and when it’s needed, and sometimes more is needed than the power stations can provide.

The UK generally has more than enough energy for its power needs. The UK’s power supply is also connected to supplies in Europe and so if there was very high demand, the shortfall could be topped up with some of their energy, and it goes the other way too!

Listen to Enn and Gee as they learn all about the fascinating world of energy!

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