Tying renewable energy prices to gas is senseless

✒ AS I write, National Grid figures show fossil fuels are only providing 9% of our electricity and we’re importing twice as much electricity as this from European countries.

It’s good to see that the grid is stable with very little energy from gas turbines, and it also shows that gas is expensive, as we are preferring to import energy rather than use our own gas.

Clean energy is becoming dominant and it’s now vital that we change the pricing structure for consumers, because basing it on gas made sense years ago but no longer does. Such a change would further encourage people to move to far more energy-efficient solutions, such as heat pumps and electric vehicles. We’re going to need more electricity scope for growth without using up too much land.

The UK is particularly well placed for wind energy, both on land and over the sea. We should urgently fix the planning rules that are stopping wind energy being developed over land in England and ensure that offshore wind auctions are properly run to avoid last year’s failure. Wellmanaged solar farms can increase insect biodiversity as well as provide cheap energy for all. Deep geothermal energy is another burgeoning renewable energy source and should be part of the mix.

Our government is not providing a proper strategy to make this happen in anything like an optimal way. Why the current chaos? Is Rishi Sunak in the pockets of the oil giants or is it down to a lack of cohesion in the Tory party? He needs to sort this out and ensure his ministers listen to the scientific and technical advice being given to them. Tim Fairs

Penryn