Miliband Branded ‘Deluded’ in Report Blowing Apart Net Zero Dream – Guido Fawkes

Miliband Branded ‘Deluded’ in Report Blowing Apart Net Zero Dream

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A damning new report blows apart Labour’s claim that renewable energy is “cheap” in the net zero crusade. The report, authored by Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford, Dieter Helm, slams Ed Miliband as “deluded” for thinking the UK can reach net zero by 2030 and bring down bills by £300. Helm also points out:

• Wind and solar are intermittent: “A unit of solar or wind power is not of equivalent value to a unit of gas (or nuclear).”
• To deliver the same output, the system needs an extra 60GW of capacity, plus costly transmission upgrades from Scotland and offshore sites.
• Consumers already pay for “lots of electricity they don’t use” due to curtailment.
• Batteries and long-duration storage add further costs, while subsidies remain essential: “If renewables were nine times cheaper, there would be no need for subsidy.”

Meanwhile, energy regulator Ofgem blamed wind farms for the energy price cap rise this morning, citing the increase in balancing costs – where the National Grid must pay to switch power plants on or off to keep the lights on – as a driving factor. Red Ed’s promise to bring down bills is just more hot air…