Why electricity costs so much today

Twice as much as the U.S. and five times more than China

- DR JOHN FERNLEY

PEAK electricity demand in Britain is in the winter when we need to heat our homes, offices, shops, warehouses and factories.

But in the winter, solar factories produce almost no electricity in Britain. This is because it is dark for around 16 hours a day, and when the sun does appear, it is weak and usually hidden behind thick cloud.

Solar energy may make sense in some countries, for example in north Africa, but building solar factories in Britain is completely brainless.

The new Energy Secretary, Ed Milliband, has just given the green light to the biggest solar factory in the UK. He claims that building the Sunnica solar farm in East Anglia will 'cut bills for families.'