Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/870188
Community Stranger than fiction Back in January 2015, before all this nonsense about Donald Trump being president of the US began, the producers of Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! were casting around for someone to play the president of the US in the latest instalment of their made-for- TV film series that combines scant- ily clad women, sharks and tornadoes. Their first choice was Sarah Palin but she turned it down, so they turned to property mogul and sometime reality TV star Donald Trump and he leapt at the chance. "He was thrilled to be asked," according to studio head David Lat. A contract was drawn up but then things went silent. The reason? Trump was con- sidering making a run for the White House for real. With time running out, the producers gave up on Trump and cast another actor in the role. According to Lat, when Trump's people found out, his lawyer rang, screaming down the phone: "How dare you? Donald wanted to do this. We're going to sue you! We're going to shut the entire show down!" It's a telling insight into Trump's neediness, pettiness and vanity. The pro- ducers clearly haven't forgotten the incident. The fih in the series was released this year – Sharknado 5: Global Swarm- ing – and was promoted with the tagline "Make America Bait Again!" Follicular fallout The chances of encountering a shark-infested tornado are – frankly – remote. The chances of nuclear Armageddon, unfortunately, are getting less remote by the day. Disconnector is obliged, therefore, to pass on a public health warning from the US Office for Civil Defense warning people against using hair con- ditioner aer a nuclear attack. Apparently hair conditioner acts as a binding agent that will glue radioactive particles to your hair, making them much harder to remove. Older readers may ask why such advice is necessary. Who's going to care about their hair aer a nuclear blast? Well, it would be the ultimate disaster zone selfie, and people do like to look their best for Instagram. Disconnector's advice? Wear a hat. All shook up Hats off to the engineers at Not- tingham Trent University who, working with design company Tochi Test, have come up with an ingenious device to replace the two concrete blocks in washing machines: water. Washing machines need the added weight to anchor them down during their spin cycle, but making concrete is an emissions-intensive process, not to mention the emissions entailed in transporting the heavy machines around. By replacing the concrete with empty containers that can be filled with water in situ, the weight of the machine is cut by a third. With 3.5 million machines sold every year in the UK, the researchers say 44,625 tonnes of carbon dioxide emis- sions a year could be saved. Concrete is denser than water, so the containers have to be bigger than the blocks. The firm is talking with manufacturers, who will want to ensure there is no downside to this ingenious idea – and maybe ask why no-one thought of it before. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Senior reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Sales executive: Sidney Houliston, e: sidneyhouliston@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332009; Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e; sophieabbott@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@ fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ, 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk William Marchant @richonlyinname Give it a rest, Grid. Hinkley is perfectly capable of delaying itself, competition for the transmission connection won't make a difference. Richard Lowes @ukheatpolicy Shale gas industry very supportive of hydrogen! Wonder why… They also set up the "decarbonised gas alliance". Nick Mabey @Mabeytweet Hydrogen heating untried and speculative. For £50 billion investment, could super- insulate all UK homes saving money and carbon. Mike Foster @mikefosterEUA Closure of Centrica's Rough gas store – what happens to the £750 million-worth of gas there? Lower consumer bills or higher dividend payments 4 s'holders? Emily Gosden @emilygosden Ofgem plan due out before Tory party conference. How long can @GregClarkMP keep up his line of waiting to see what Ofgem does before acting? Simon Evans @DrSimEvans At current production levels, the world will burn enough coal, oil and gas to all but guarantee dangerous climate change within 30 years. Jonathan Gaventa @jonathangaventa UK-Japan declaration promises to "show the way on clean energy" and reiterates commitment to Paris Agreement. Dr Matthew Aylott @renewablewriter This article topspeed.com/cars/car-news/… misses the point that UK electricity grid will be very different in 2040 with high growth in renewables. Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 8TH - 14TH SEPTEMBER 2017 | 31