Stats don't tell the full story, renewables are making us less reliant on gas - Yorkshire Post Letters

I am looking at the National Grid electricity generation dashboard and renewable energy is currently delivering almost 50 per cent of our electricity needs. This is almost three times more than is being delivered by gas.

Right now, we are importing almost as much electricity as gas is generating and yet we have been exporting gas to Europe via a pipeline to Belgium.

We have also been a marginal net exporter of electricity over the last 12 months due to problems with nuclear generation in France earlier in the year. Energy is an international market.

People use statistics to tell us that renewable energy is not helping us. This is nonsense as, over the last year, we would have used 80 per cent more gas if we had not had renewables. Imagine how much this would have pushed up gas prices.

It is not a concern that we use gas to provide electricity when the wind isn’t blowing. What matters is that our renewables mean less gas is used when measured over longer periods.

Using these simple economics, Europe is encouraging faster expansion of renewables. We should do the same as reduced demand will bring gas prices down for when we need it. This makes electricity cheaper as well.