Dear Editor,

At 14.50 on 11 March, gridwatch.co.uk gave the following GB Fuel type power generation percentages.

As usual in cold spells, we are dependent upon 22 per cent of our electricity upon interconnector supplies from Europe.

 Thankfully, gas is cheaply supplying 48% of our electricity and nuclear 9%, with those latter stations due for closure. Wind power is giving us 9% and solar 3% of our electricity. However, the deeply non-'green' biomass from Drax is supplying 6% and we are having to use coal for 4% with hydro supplying 1%. (This adds up to 102%, but 1% is being sent to Eire and 1% to Northern Ireland).

At any time, with cold continental weather, these imports may not be available, leading to deaths from cold weather. The National Grid cannot cope at present, owing to the focus upon massively subsidised intermittent renewables.

Just how is this country supposed to be able to charge the tens of millions of electric cars being forced upon us, especially at night or on cloudy days with little or no solar supplies, and wind that is too high or too low?

VW is presently being sued for millions because a battery fire in an electric Porsche set fire to hundreds of cars on a roll-on roll-off car transport ship.

Such fires are not uncommon in electric cars, scooters, bikes and wind turbines and spread incredibly rapidly because of the intensity of heat; fire brigades have been told to stay upwind of the carcinogenic smoke from electric batteries, which is almost impossible to extinguish; electric cars are 50% heavier on average than comparable petrol or diesel cars, causing more road damage, carcinogenic tyre particulates, potholes and potential accidents by damaging floors in multi-storey carparks; electric cars have been reported as being uncontrollable and dangerous, needing police action to stop them; a broken-down electric car needs a low-loader to pick it up as it cannot be moved to the hard shoulder.

Major traffic jams will follow on all roads from lanes to motorways; mining of the rare earths needed for their batteries are causing massive environmental disasters; the cars are far too expensive; there is no way that millions of drivers will be able to charge them at home, living in apartments or flats; power leads snaking over pavements for home chargers will cause accidents; there will never be enough electricity in the National Grid to power all the planned demand; hundreds of thousands of public charging points will be needed; electric car insurance is already far higher, with some cars being difficult to insure; and if lorries and buses are electric, how will they be moved when they break down?

One wonders if a single politician has asked about the source of electricity for an estimated 30 million plus small electric SUVs on our roads.

They will need perhaps150,000MW of electric power, while wind-sourced electricity averaged only 7,000MW in 2023 and fell as low as 71MW on a calm day.

Britain's carbon emissions and power usage have fallen as nearly all of our manufactured goods are now bought in from overseas, but we still use 35,000MW daily, which rises to 47,000MW in cold weather.

As seen above, in cold spells, we are reliant upon coal and interconnector imports for a quarter of our electricity. Where is the extra electricity to come from to power new cars, vans, lorries, buses, trains, schools, hospitals and buildings? (There are now 40.4 million cars, vans, trucks and buses in the UK, including 3.2 million cars).

Yours in despair,

Terry Breverton FRHistS FRSA FIC FCIM

Penarth