By Paul Homewood
http://www.thegwpf.com/is-the-uk-government-concealing-very-high-renewables-system-cost-estimates/
The GWPF have issued this press release:
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The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF) is calling on the Government to release the uncensored report on the total system costs of renewable energy which was published last Friday in a version that deleted all quantitive cost estimates.
After an unexplained delay of a year since completion the UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) last Friday published a report by Frontier Economics on the total system costs of uncontrollably variable renewable generators, a topic of crucial importance in understanding the cost-effectiveness of current climate policies.
The study is not only very late, but contains no quantitative estimates of additional system costs. However, examination of the peer reviews, which are published with the study, reveals that an entire table of numerical cost estimates, some of which were described by the external reviewer as “very high”, were in fact present in the version sent out for comment in mid 2015, but have been subsequently removed.
Remarkably, the document is dated February 2016, and the peer reviews are dated late July to very early September 2015. The Department has been in possession of the final work for over a year before releasing it to the public, and aware of its conclusions for something like a year and a half.
It appears that the consultants, Frontier Economics, are not to blame for this omission, since their draft as sent to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in mid-2015, did in fact include such cost estimates.
Dr John Constable, the GWPF’s energy editor said:
‘Given the sensitive nature of the subject, it is entirely reasonable to suspect deliberate suppression of embarrassing estimates. BEIS should without delay publish the unredacted study so that the interested public can assess the true cost of renewable energy.’
More information about the Frontier Economics report here:
http://www.thegwpf.com/is-the-uk-government-concealing-very-high-renewables-system-cost-estimates/
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This is not the first time the government has attempted to cover up the real cost of the climate change act, but this really is a disgraceful one.
Clearly the findings of the report must be extremely embarrassing, otherwise it would have been published straightaway.
In the meantime, expect howls of anguish from the BBC, Committee on Climate Change and Bob Ward that the GWPF is prepared to challenge the climate juggernaut.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Maybe they’re just waiting for ‘a good day to bury bad news’ to come along!
Any chance of the report being leaked? There must be some genuine scientists with access to it.
Perhaps a reshuffle is needed to minimise collateral damage to the Sainted Theresa, including staffing the energy part of administration with professional scientists and engineers who can authoritatively tell greenies their pseudoscience is based on fraud?
I think a F.O.I. request is in order here.
If it is refused, as I expect, – probably stating “not in the Public interest”, we can draw our own conclusions.
I’m sure the “investigative” reporters of the Gruniard and the BBC will be over this Government cover-up like flies on s***.
This is fairly typical of the civil servants who control all these reports. They have been covering up the facts about the effects on peoples’ health of wind turbines for many years. As the civil servants responsible for all these cover-ups do not appear to be serving the people, they should instead be serving time at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.
The final nail in the coffin of the Free Market for electricity will be the forthcoming price cap, which will then of course simply become “The Price”, as all suppliers will move to it. Govt set prices, arbitrary intervention to back the Most Favoured means of generation, taxes on all the others, means that nobody is going to spend their own money on proper power stations.
There probably never really was a Free Market for electricity, and arguably there shouldn’t be, as it would fail to produce security via diversity of fuels, and private ownership of essential infrastructure is bonkers. Given the imminent loss of the last few fig leafs masking the lack of a Free Market it is surely imperative that the govt establishes a proper systems engineering body to do the central planning, not risk it falling into the hands again of Lib Dems, or other loonies, such as in the nightmare scenario of a “progressive” anti-Tory alliance with “greens” insisting on being in charge of energy.
Nobody is spending their own money on new generation now. The proposed and authorized gas power station at Trafford has been deferred due to concerns over profit margin – or whether there will be any at all. Nothing is being built.
Climanrecon
You are probably right about the price cap. I recall that, when the wholesale price of electricity (the ‘Pool’ price at the time) was capped, the removal of the cap was followed by a fall in the price. Not sure about the ‘Free Market’ though. Of course, it was never entirely free (e.g. companies forced to buy British coal until 1998), but, I remember when so much capacity was built that we had a wholesale price crash. Mostly gas-fired, of course. No diversity in a free market? Not sure about that, either. Remember that (around 2006, I think) certain companies (E.ON was most prominent) wanted to build new coal-fired plant to avoid over-dependence on gas. But, the government of the day pulled a very unhappy face and the plans were shelved.
“Government To Come Clean”
When did any Government Come Clean about any thing, they lie, they cheat, they spin.
They treat us like mushrooms … buried in sh¡t & kept in the dark.
A large percentage of the population help them in this by not being interested in anything but the latest celeb drivel or what is happening in the soaps.
It is nice to know that we pay for such drivel. This is presumably what it is.
A reissue of “The King’s New Clothes?”
Would it be possible for another group to duplicate independently the analysis carried out by Frontier Economics and , being unconstrained by client – confidentiality agreements , release the results to the media ?
Possible, Mike, but unlikely to be published. ‘Not in the Public Interest,’ you see.
Would I be wrong to think that “renewables” do not lower atmospheric CO2 long-term?
The terminally ignorant MPs may well be on course to shoot themselves in the feet with their desire to cap the price increases of the Big Six should they choose to defend themselves. The government costs lumped on to them would then be laid bare for all to see. I have just instigated a switch to a small electricity supplier that is much cheaper then Co-op/GB Energy that was. Of course they are exempt from much of it and don’t participate in the Warm Home Discount scheme which must save them as well.
I doubt that even the Frontier report includes all the costs of the Lemming like rush to renewable energy, did they include the money the government has poured into research and applications of renewables, I am thinking here of the billions they paid the motor industry to produce and subsidise electric cars?
‘He who hides something has something to hide.’
‘Understanding the cost-effectiveness of current climate policies’
Has anyone found any?