Peter Coates, of Huish Cottages, South Huish, writes:

I was interested in the article on the proposed solar farm on the outskirts of Kingsbridge, written by Clare Carter.

We have all been concerned about the large increases in the cost of electricity, and an analysis shows that from the year 2007 to 2012 the price increase regarding British Gas has been around 42 per cent.

This is due to two major causes – the cost of basic materials is up 50 per cent but, more importantly, the subsidy on renewables, such as wind turbines and solar farms, is passed on to the consumer in our utility bills – and this has risen 240 per cent.

The costs included in our bill for subsidising renewables have risen from around four per cent to nearly 10 per cent and are still rising. This means we are paying over £110 per annum on an average bill.

Fuel poverty is increasing and it is the subsidy of renewables which is one of the main causes. Incidentally, during this period the profits of British Gas fell .