The government are stopping subsidises on diesel powered electricity generators

It may come as a surprise to many that the government subsidises diesel powered electricity generators at all, but it does and now it has stated that it is going to stop doing so.

Needless to say, a well funded lobby action is underway to try and convince ministers that an energy source which is a major cause of air pollution and respiratory problems in children should continue to get tax payers money. We disagree; if solar can do with negligible and ultimately zero subsidy, so can diesel.

If there is money for subsidising energy, and clearly there is given the billions that HM Government are throwing at EDF and the Chinese to try and get the fated Hinkley C nuclear reactor built, then we think it would make more sense to subsidise battery storage. This would make electricity produced by renewables at off peak periods available at peak times and remove the need for stinky diesel generators completely. No child’s lungs need suffer.

Read the FT story here.