I am the customer: Maf Smith

“Onshore wind is one of the cheapest power sources”

First the good news – figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that a record 25 per cent of the UK’s electricity was generated from renewable energy sources last year. Wind power played the leading role, generating almost half of this, and there were big increases in bioenergy and solar output too.

At the same time, the government published figures showing that the average annual household electricity bill decreased by £8 (or 1.4 per cent) in 2015, because of falling energy costs and lower demand.

Relying increasingly on renewables makes economic as well as environmental sense. Onshore wind is now one of the cheapest of all power sources. Meanwhile, a tenacious focus on technological innovation and economies of scale have driven down the cost of offshore wind earlier than expected, with increasing confidence about our ability to sustain these cost reductions. The government’s advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, says offshore wind will be cheaper than new nuclear and gas plants by 2025.

We can predict and control the cost of home-grown renewables, whereas no one can foresee global fluctuations in the price of imported fossil fuels. So next time someone suggests that going green costs an arm and a leg, it’s worth remembering that the evidence shows otherwise. The renewable energy sector is as committed to offering value for money as it is to cleaning up the way we generate electricity.

Maf Smith, deputy chief executive, RenewableUK