Renewable power

The article by Andrew Mccormick (The Scotsman 200, 27 April) would have been improved if he had included a review of the impact of the cost of renewable electricity on the 40 per cent of Scots living in fuel poverty.

Readers should note that the baseline data leaflet from their energy company claims that a low user of electricity consumes 4,270 units a year at a cost of £657 before any dual fuel deductions.

The first impact on the 40 per cent living in fuel poverty is that if Holyrood meets its policy of generating 100 per cent of demand from renewable sources then this will add £260 a year to electricity bills, as currently 70 per cent of electricity is derived from low-cost carbon fuels and only 26 per cent is obtained from highly subsidised renewable sources.

That would increase bills in Scotland to £920 a year unless English consumers paid an additional subsidy to meet the cost of the increase in the renewable component.

The next impact would result from the demise of the UK grid if Scotland voted Yes at Indyref2. At present, £72 a year (11 per cent) of electricity bills for low users are paid to the green levy to subsidise the billions paid to renewable generators.

However, as costs are spread over the UK grid, Scottish consumers only pay 8 per cent of the subsidy as the remainder is charged to English and Welsh customers. Hence at independence there would be an increase of £838 a year in green levy, taking the total annual bill from an initial £657 to £1758.

A third impact to the 40 per cent in fuel poverty arises from the policy of phasing-out the use of gas over the next decade to meet the target set by meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The majority of energy users would have to replace the use of gas with that from electricity but, what our MSPS fail to highlight is that electricity is around three times that of gas, which increases the £1,758 ayearcosttoover£5,000a year.

Will Andrew Wilson disclose how the Scottish economy can grow if 40 per cent of households face such an increase in their energy bills?

IAN MOIR Queen Street, Castle Douglas