Solar can ‘outshine Hinkley’

25/10/2013

Lightsource has written to Prime Minister David Cameron to claim that the UK solar industry can deliver the output of Hinkley Point C within two years.

The open letter states that the nuclear power station in Somerset will “only be of use in 10 years’ time at the earliest” and better options are available in the face of an Ofgem-predicted energy drought in 2015.

PV, it asserts, can provide “energy security quickly, reduce electricity bills and protect the environment” as well as having the “capability to deliver the same energy production as Hinkley Point C in less than two years and at a comparable cost”.

Lightsource operations director Mark Turner writes: “To avoid the ever-increasing risk of blackouts, £110bn needs to be spent replacing the 20% of the UK’s (coal-fired) capacity scheduled to be turned off by 2018.

“Whilst the announcement of Hinkley Point C will make a material contribution to plugging the gap without further perpetuating our dependency on fossil fuels, this new power station will only be of use in 10 years’ time at the earliest.

“We must act to protect consumers from energy prices that have risen by over 25% since 2009.