The current crisis of energy supply goes back to a European directive that requires governments to reduce carbon emissions from power stations by 20 per cent in the year 2020.

The last Labour Government decided to achieve this target by building wind farms and mass solar capture, to encourage private investment to pay for the vast sums required, they decided to pay subsidies to investors and, in turn, levy charges to everybody’s energy bills, and close down the worst-offending power stations.

A very sensible strategy until you find the truth behind this misguided deception.

Currently the Department of Energy quotes the expected wind generation of 26 gigawatts by 2020 will in reality be 8GW because, lo and behold, the wind does not blow all the time. The promised feed-in tariff has had to be reduced by a third because, lo and behold, many people started putting solar panels on their roofs, not that they produce electricity in useful amounts but the investors get a whopping return.

So, after committing billions of pounds to renewable energy, which, in reality, only dribbles power into the grid, reduction in energy generation through closing down power stations (Didcot power station in our region – a perfectly good asset squandered because of dogma), confidence in the supply of reliable energy is at an all-time low.

The reality is renewables can only complement a small amount to a fully functional capable energy generating infrastructure, and therefore the Government should abandon the failed, incapable, renewable debacle and switch the investment to guarantee nuclear and gas power generation for our future.

We will miss the 2020 target, and what are the European community going to do? They will ignore it, as they do all the directives that do not suit them.

M. Palmer, Oxford Hill, Witney