Britain must not use the war in the Middle East as an excuse to ramp up wind and solar power, energy experts have warned – saying it would “punish” families with even higher bills.As global tensions push gas prices up again, some ministers and green campaigners argue the crisis shows the need to accelerate the shift to renewables and cut reliance on fossil fuels.However, critics say reacting to geopolitical turmoil with a dash for wind farms would be “crazy” – and leave Britain more exposed, not less.Andrew Montford, director of Net Zero Watch, said he fears ministers could use the conflict as political cover to expand renewable subsidies.
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“I can easily see Ed Miliband increasing wind and solar because of the Middle East,” he said. “That will severely punish us all because of the enormous costs renewables bring to the grid.”He dismissed claims that renewables would shield households from volatile energy markets.“When gas prices return to normal, this rush to renewables in response to a crisis will look not just foolish – but crazy,” Mr Montford added.“The argument that renewables will save money is totally spurious. The cost of the system normally rises as you add wind farms to the grid. You do not save anything – you pay more.”“Adding more wind now will lock us into permanently higher prices,” Mr Montford told GB News.John Constable, a professor of energy policy at the University of Austin in Texas, and an expert on UK energy policy, said using national security to justify expanding renewables was misguided.“This will lead to a mistaken emphasis on renewables for the purposes of national security,” he warned.“Renewables are fundamentally, physically incompetent and do not actually address the needs of an industrial economy.”LATEST DEVELOPMENTS’It’s over!’ Nigel Farage slams ’embarrassing’ Labour after Donald Trump issues damning dig at PMRachel Reeves under fire as one million more pensioners face tax hit ‘buried in small print’Ed Miliband risks ‘war of words’ with Donald Trump over North Sea oil as energy bills could hit £2,500“To recommend wind and solar because we have problems over oil and gas supply is like telling someone who can’t afford to buy food to eat grass,” he said.“Ultimately, coal, oil, gas and nuclear sources are the only way we can run our economy and remain both prosperous and defensible.”Their intervention comes alongside new analysis suggesting wind power remains significantly more expensive than gas-fired generation – even with fuel prices elevated due to instability in the Middle East.In an exclusive breakdown for GB News, Mr Montford estimates wind is still costing households around 20 per cent more than gas, even after prices spiked as a result of the turmoil in the Middle East.He argues that the headline price per megawatt hour often quoted for wind does not reflect the true bill facing consumers.As more wind capacity is added, so do the “hidden” costs – including grid balancing, maintaining gas-fired backup plants and paying turbines to switch off when supply exceeds demand.“Increasingly, the renewables fleet produces more electricity than we need and we have to build more infrastructure or pay to switch it off,” he said.“Adding wind has pushed prices up for the last 20 years – and adding more now will give us permanently higher prices.”His estimates suggest that the cost of building, financing and maintaining a typical one gigawatt offshore wind farm adds around £400 million a year to household bills.But a windfarm of this size would only reduce fuel use in gas-fired power stations by around £200 million. Even with gas prices rising due to Middle East instability, that figure has climbed to around £340 million – still below the cost added by the wind farm.Millions of households remain under pressure from energy bills that are still well-above pre-2020 levels.Supporters of renewables argue expanding wind and solar reduces reliance on imported gas and protects Britain from geopolitical shocks.Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said “dependence on fossil fuels leaves us deeply vulnerable” and linked clean energy investment directly to national security and affordability.Our Standards:
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