Dear Sir
I would suggest that Professor
Michael Jefferson reviews the annual figures provided by DECC on
whole life electricity generating costs. These tables are based on
audited accounts for all forms of energy generation, and take account
of both subsidies (which are removed) and decommissioning costs
(which are added).
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/decc-electricity-generation-costs-2013)
The figures show that three
types of generation are similar in costs, Close Cycle Gas Turbines
(CCGT) at £80 per MWh, Nuclear at £90 per MWh, and
on-shore wind turbines at £101 per MWh. However to maintain capacity
during peak load demand requires Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT), as
they can be quickly turned on and off at a very high cost of £180 per MWh
On shore wind is therefore only
marginally more expensive than CCGT and Nuclear, and all fall
within the same cost band when uncertainties are considered. It
has the advantage of not being subject to variations in raw fuel
costs as they are free. The figures also do not take account of the
environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions, which is impacting
on our daily lives as evidenced by the recent floods.
In December 2013 just over 14%
of UK energy production was produced by wind turbines. Emerging
technologies such as Power-2-Gas are delivering techniques to store
surplus energy, to be returned to the Grid during peak load times,
and wind is far cheaper than OCGT. Improvements in engineering are
also continuing to drive down costs.
The UK has one of the highest
wind reserves in Europe, as we are an Island, and it is folly not to
exploit this natural resource.
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