The biggest problem facing most non oil & gas producing countries is energy security and its knock on implications of supply and cost. Energy shortfall can simply be divided into transport and electricity. Production of cost effective hydrogen from water and renewable electricity is now possible.

Charles Purkess, Malmesbury,

"Switch to windpower could add £6 billion a year to fuel bills"

Get a grip, with papers taking a negitive attitude towards renewable energy, how will anything change!

In the long run it will not only save money, but the world!

Robert, Aberdeen,

The more energy we can produce within the UK, the less we have to import: very important, given our rapidly deteriorating balance of payments situation. Non-renewable energy is going up in price dramatically. Wind is looking better and better all the time.

Adam, London, UK

Wind power will SAVE us £6billion. The subsidies are another issue and will be for the senior administrative staffs bonuses and other perks.

Desi, Eastleigh,

RIP OFF BRITAIN. Labour cannot manage their own finances let alone manage a country

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

How much energy does it take to make, transport and erect a wind tubine on site ? How long does it have to run to pay this energy cost back ? After payback can it then produce power over a meaningfull period and then later produce enough power to replace itself ?

Is windpower economic ?????

Peter Clarke, Peebles, Scotland

Just about any fuel is a cost increase from the cheap oil we've become addicted to over the last 40 years. We have to pay whatever the cost is for renewables (& prob nuclear) because within a decade oil will be in short supply.

Depending on Russia for gas doesn't seem a smart move either.

paul newbold, sheffield, UK

But it's all about supporting the global warming scam. Get used to it unless we start throwing the global warming scam artist in jail for fraud.

robert g, Rockville, MD, usa

I don't get this. I live in Alberta. I pay for a company to put as much green electricity into the grid as I use. It costs me less than $4 (£2) extra a month on top of my existing electricity bill. The company is not subsidised at all. So why should a British household have to pay more?

Jane Leaper, Edmonton, Canada

Green just means TAX these days why do we bother, I don't give a dam about green bring back coal or any thing else that was cheap and dirty.

MR W Jones, Liverpool, England

Let's look at Germany: over 22,000 turbines and running out of good onshore sites.

Have they closed any thermal power stations?

No. In fact they have announced that they are building 26 new lignite/coal-fired power stations.

Grid instability is also a major, and growing, problem.

NLys , Cornhill, UK

It is the environment that is the most important issue. The money is of secondary importance. If the planet is to survive we must start judging decisions on environmental standards not on $ cost. Our money valued society is destroying the planet and we must change our values rapidly.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia

Instead of treating this as a hypothetical, why don't we look at the figures from Germany, which already has a great deal of wind power installed?

If the Germans, with ten times the wind power installed are paying large subsidies to operators, then we will have to do the same.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/USA

It seems that every item considered to be 'green' involves increased costs. Is it a true cost or just an excuse to rip off customers supported by Mr Brown

Mike, Sole Street, England