Letter: Don't rely on gales
I am rebuked by Robert Saunders for questioning a Department of Energy and Climate Change press release without checking the website.
I am rebuked by Robert Saunders for questioning a Department of Energy and Climate Change press release without checking the website.
He's right, it does say that renewables provided 9.6 percent of grid demand in the second quarter of this year.
But I could find no source data for the 9.6 percent or even a breakdown by fuel.
So I'm forced to use National Grid's Balancing Mechanism Reports to find actual contribution to grid demand by fuel type.
These reports are the basis for paying the various generators, be they wind farms or nuclear plants. I queried the 9.6 per cent because it contradicts the National Grid figures.
I support renewable power generation provided it's reliable. Unfortunately, UK governments are besotted with building unreliable wind turbines instead of hydro-electric projects such as the tidal power Severn Barrage proposal.
I'm afraid if Mr Saunders thinks that in the foreseeable future he will be able to rely on wind instead of fossil and nuclear fuels, he perfectly demonstrates the difference between hope and expectation.
Roger France, Muxton