An energetic debate is needed but backers of wind energy need to face truth

OUR electricity supply is in a perilous state with engineers regularly warning that the safety margin between supply and demand is critical.

Coal and gas power plants are deliberately being closed to meet legally-binding commitments to reduce CO2 emissions under the UK Climate Change Act.

Other nations have merely promised to reduce emissions but perversely burn fossil fuels.

The government is secretly planning to phase out the use of gas, for both cooking and heating our homes, to reduce emissions.

The “2050 Pathways Analysis” report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) proposes a wholesale switch from gas to wind electricity.

Where will this extra electricity come from?

There are 16 million homes connected to the gas grid so the extra electricity needed will require an additional 55,000 wind turbines costing £500 billion – this cost will end up on energy bills.

This insane DECC plan must be challenged by politicians and unions since it will result in mass unemployment for the hundreds-of-thousands who work in the gas-related industries and those who manufacture and install cookers and central heating.

There is unlimited wealth beneath our feet in the form of shale gas so let’s not listen to the green zealots and push the self-destruct button.

Clark Cross

Springfield Road, Linlithgow

You claim that last month, wind power provided half of Scotland’s “energy” needs (8 February).

In fact in seems to have provided half of Scotland’s electricity demand (not all energy is in the form of electricity) and all of the domestic electricity demand on 22 days.

Of course that means that on nine days it did not meet domestic demand and on some days it may have met none of Scotland’s overall demand.

Electricity from wind is all very well, if one doesn’t mind the damage to the landscape (and seascape) and the cost to consumers in higher bills, but when the wind drops, demand must be met from some thermal generation, of which there will not be enough in Scotland after Longannet and Boddam close, followed by Hunterston B and Torness.

By putting its trust in renewables, the Scottish Government puts our very necessary electricity supply at risk.

Steuart Campbell

Dovecot Loan, Edinburgh

I must point out that your headline “Wind power provides half of Scotland’s energy needs” (8 February) is totally misleading, it not being the first time that such a gross misrepresentation of the facts is given prominence.

In the article, although that claim is repeated in the first paragraph, it is eventually admitted that what the data actually shows is that wind turbines supplied “48 per cent of Scotland’s total electricity consumption”.

I should not need to point out that electricity is not the only form of energy.

John Milne

Ardgowan Drive, Uddingston