Renewables are the solution, not the problem

(Letter to the South Wales Evening Post)

Dave Lees (‘Letter fails to convince me’, Have Your Say, 9 October) appears to have misunderstood the reasons for the possibility of electricity blackouts in the next few years.

Rather than the wind refusing “to co-operate”, it is the lack of renewable energy generating capacity in the UK that will lead to the lights going out.

The EU regulations requiring the closure of some of our older and most polluting power stations were introduced in 2001 – more than 10 years ago.  Since then successive governments have failed to address the problem of how to increase demand for electricity without increasing carbon emissions.

This is confirmed by the front page article in The Times on 8 October reporting that, “Seven global electricity and nuclear technology companies are threatening today to withdraw plans for hundreds of millions of pounds of future investment in Britain because of attempts by George Osborne to water down the Government’s green commitments.”

Government failure to embrace renewables in any meaningful way has placed us in this parlous situation, and only an immediate and significant increase in renewables can save us from it.

Yours,

Keith M Ross

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