John Watson, of Orcheton Quay, Modbury, writes:

MEP Ashley Fox advocates the ending of energy subsidies by the end of the decade, January 17, on the grounds of cost to the consumer.

I think his further comments show a lack of appreciation of the world energy situation. With about 40 per cent of our energy imported, we operate in a world market

Subsidies may well be unnecessary by the end of the decade but this will be because the price of fossil fuel derived energy will be even higher than that from renewables.

World prices of fossil fuels have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are likely to do so again by 2020.

Not because there is any lack of them but because the quality has deteriorated and the cost of discovery and extraction continues to increase at around 10 per cent a year.

Renewables have generally decreased in relative cost and may continue to do so.

Fossil fuel sourced energy will continue its meteoric rise in cost, due to the need for fuel purchases annually; renewables once installed have minimal running costs.

By diversifying their source, intermittency can be partially overcome and by using anaerobic digestion from sewage and waste to produce methane gas, fuel could be stored for short periods.

No source is likely to allow us to continue our present profligate use, based on our experience of ultra cheap power.

The coalition has acted responsibly in reducing or increasing subsidies as technology and the commercial situation change in the various categories, but we are paying the price of years of governmental prevarication on energy policy which has prevented the industry investing as it would choose to do. Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal have achieved or intend to produce 40-50 per cent of their energy from renewables by 2020.

With our addiction to short- term, free-market ideology, we are unlikely to achieve 15 per cent from our present level of little more than four per cent.

The highest future cost to the consumer may occur through eliminating subsidies to renewables prematurely whilst allowing the far higher indirect subsidies to fossil fuels and nuclear world wide to continue .

Fracked gas is unlikely to provide a solution.

Though better than coal, it still produces completely unsustainable levels of climate changing emissions and depletion rates in USA are so high that replacement wells have to be drilled after two to three years to maintain supplies.

North Sea supplies are decreasing at annual rates of 11-20 per cent and the current crash level of investment is unlikely to delay this for more than one or two years.

We will just have to find ways of achieving a good quality of life with less.

I have no connection with any part of the energy industry.