Ministers say renewables will bring prices down, but count back-up gas, grid expansion, balancing payments and storage, and the whole system is getting dearer.
Another way to address the Scottish bottleneck and to help re-balance the regional economies of the UK is to have zonal pricing of electricity, thus making the north more attractive for major electricity consumers.
One object of renewables was energy independence, but that is not apparent when you go to 'National Grid Live' on the internet. There are many periods when we are importing substantial amounts of electricity through the vulnerable interconnectors, sometimes in excess of 20%. This last week or so, the flow has been reversed for modest periods and amounts, but curiously the exported supply seems to come from an excess of gas powered generation.
Spain has barely any home grown fossil fuel. Yet electricity prices in a recent long stay in Spanish apartment were 10p per kWh. Whereas I’m paying 24.75p per kWh back in UK.
Another way to address the Scottish bottleneck and to help re-balance the regional economies of the UK is to have zonal pricing of electricity, thus making the north more attractive for major electricity consumers.
One object of renewables was energy independence, but that is not apparent when you go to 'National Grid Live' on the internet. There are many periods when we are importing substantial amounts of electricity through the vulnerable interconnectors, sometimes in excess of 20%. This last week or so, the flow has been reversed for modest periods and amounts, but curiously the exported supply seems to come from an excess of gas powered generation.
Spain has barely any home grown fossil fuel. Yet electricity prices in a recent long stay in Spanish apartment were 10p per kWh. Whereas I’m paying 24.75p per kWh back in UK.