IN HIS letter about the need to ‘get real about our changing climate’ (Mail, November 23) Gordon Rogers talks about losing touch with reality and leads on with five paragraphs extolling the virtues of wind power generating “free” electricity for residents of various Texas cities, in particular Dallas.

However “free energy” is far from reality. He should be aware that there is no such thing as free anything anywhere in the world. So-called free electricity is a scam and not reality for two reasons.

Whilst “free” electricity is available from 10pm to 6am the contracts (costing $300 to cancel) negate the “free” night-time electricity by increasing the day time electricity tariff between 6am and 10pm (the period of maximum demand) to 18c/kWh which is twice the average price of 8c/kwh on a normal price plan.

While Mr Rogers whets our appetites with images of free evening cooking, washing and ironing and by association massive reductions in annual electricity bills thanks to wonderful wind power, these activities are minimal energy users.

The major energy user in Texas is air-conditioning, particularly during daylight hours when households have the air-conditioning on all day and all weekend with additional energy users like refrigerators and freezers which cannot be switched off.

In relation to Texas, energy bills for most of its 29 million residents are among the highest of the 50 states.

Texas electricity generation is deregulated, it has total control over its generating capacity and all its generating capacity has to be used within the state of Texas.

The numerous generators that supply wind power to ERCOT (electricity reliability council of Texas) are provided with a taxpayer-funded federal production tax incentive of 2.3c/kWh for every kW generated which translates to a massive $23/mwh.

So it is easy to see that in reality it’s not free at all but paid for out of ever-expanding tax hikes.

COLIN HEWETSON
The Ridings, Kidlington