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Energy Bill

Not just yet, although it is nice to see the hon. Gentleman. People sometimes talk about feed-in tariffs as though they were cost-free. That is not the case. We need to look at the costs as well as the benefits. As the International Energy Agency's 2007 report on the German system recognises:"““The country's feed-in tariff for renewables has resulted in rapid deployment of new electricity capacity, but has done so at a high cost.””" The IEA report estimates that the German feed-in tariff regime between 2000 and 2012 will result in payments of €68 billion, of which some €30 billion to €36 billion will be the additional costs of renewables. It is important to point those facts out. By 2012, the annual cost would be between €8 billion and €9.5 billion. It is also worth reporting the IEA's finding that solar PV would provide some 4.5 per cent. of Germany's electricity while taking some 20 per cent. of the potential payments. When we compare systems, it is important that we look at the costs as well as the benefits.