Power costs fears

A recent report issued by Scottish Renewables decries the lack of future subsidies for the sector with a consequent 16.9 per cent drop in employment over the next 12 months.

Jenny Hogan, director of policy, is quoted as claiming that onshore wind and solar are the two cheapest forms of electricity generation.

However, the recent generation cost of onshore electricity was £100 per Mw-hour and the price of solar was £400 per Mw-hour.

Readers can observe from their energy bills that they are provided with electricity at £41 per Mw-hour, hence the question that arises is how the generation companies can make a profit when it appears they must be selling their product at a huge loss if onshore and solar are the two cheapest forms of generating electricity.

Another factor not addressed by Scottish Renewables is that following independence 92 per cent of the green levy fund will no longer be paid by English and Welsh consumers, as European legislation makes such an arrangement illegal.

Hence, during the school summer holidays when demand falls to a minimum level that can be met by the steam generators it will require the 2020 target of 12,000 MW of wind turbine capacity to be constrained to maintain system stability.

Over the summer that would result in a cost of over £7 billion, which results in an annual increase in the green levy bill of around £3,000 per Scottish household.

That would be a body blow to the 40 per cent of Scots living in fuel poverty, especially since MSPS promised to eliminate such poverty by 2016.

Will the Green Party adopt a policy to refuse to support a vote on Indyref2 until Holyrood fulfils its promise to the 40 per cent of voters living in fuel poverty?

IAN MOIR Queen Street, Castle Douglas