Location: Lecture Theatre 2, Appleton Tower, 11 Crichton St, Edinburgh EH8 9LE.

Time: Tuesday 28 January, Talk starts at 18:00

Speaker: Dr Chris Dent, School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh

Abstract:

This talk will begin with a summary of the timeline of the 9 August blackout event in Great Britain, and its specific causes – both in terms of the background of adverse weather, and what aspects of the system did and did not react as they should have done in the circumstances. It will then use this as a basis to illustrate needs for mathematical science-related research in energy systems reliability, with particular emphasis on modelling common cause events including those related to weather and to the system not operating correctly, and to modelling issues arising from the sheer complexity of the power system and the range of possible (but individually unlikely) events.