Climate change is real and if we care about our grandchildren's future we need to do something about it. I accept this, you probably accept it, a clear majority of the public accept it too.

Governments around the world have responded by setting targets for reductions in carbon emissions. Politicians leapfrog over each other to show that they are the most virtuous. Rishi Sunak's pushing back of the timing of targets is a dose of realism which without changing the overall direction makes the objectives a little (and little is the word) more achievable.

Politicians and those promoting all things green enjoy telling us about certain things. They love it when a new offshore wind farm opens and they can give us spurious statistics such as that its output can power the equivalent of thousands of homes or that we now produce renewable power equal to our annual energy consumption.

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The latter fact, in Scotland, is true and is an achievement but the triumphant message is totally misleading.

What you should ask politicians and yourself in relation to the move to green energy are two simple questions.

First, how will I get the electricity to power my house and car after a week of cold, still weather in January?

Second, how much is my power going to cost me?

The clear direction in the move towards net zero is electrification at the point of use of power. Hydrogen will have a role to play but its unsuitability in domestic settings limits its usefulness. Electricity will power our cars and electric heat pumps will heat our homes.

UK electricity demand peaked at 62GW in 2002 but has since declined and now the amount needed over a day varies between about 20GW and 45GW. Scotland is not far off about 10% of total UK demand.

However much we try to smooth things, the move to electric cars and heating will increase the amount of peak energy we need. Estimates vary widely but some recent studies suggest around 80GW might be peak electricity demand. Build in a margin for error and equipment breakdowns and the ability to produce 100GW is not a daft target, which would imply about 10GW for Scotland.

Where will we get this from?

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We have Peterhead which can produce about 1.5GW but that uses gas. Fantasists tell you about carbon capture and storage being an effective solution but it really isn't, Peterhead has surely got to be shut if net zero is to be achieved. By the end of this decade all of our other big generating stations will have shut. Longannet, Cockenzie and Hunterston have already gone and Torness which can produce 1.4GW will be gone in five years time. Hydro is pretty reliable but can sustain less than 1GW output and Pumped Storage can give us a short boost of about 0.5GW. Solar is not a big deal in Scotland and irrelevant in winter. We are therefore far below what will be required.

But what about wind I hear you say - in Scotland alone we have about 13GW of installed capacity which is more than enough. Indeed it is; when the wind blows.

At peak the UK's wind-generated output can be over 20GW but it can also be 2GW when there is not much wind. Perhaps about half of this could be attributed to Scotland.

In a cold, still winter period wind is frankly almost useless. Without wind generation being active all of the UK and especially Scotland, once Torness is gone, will be miles short of what we need.

The building of reliable electricity generation plant, especially more nuclear, needs to start now or we will be faced with a choice we don't want, continuing to need fossil fuels or running out of juice. The Scottish Government's refusal to contemplate nuclear power is just plain dumb. We have to have a mix of reliable ways to generate power when the wind isn't blowing.

Most people like wind turbines but nearly everybody hates electricity pylons and other electricity distribution infrastructure. The local electricity grid in most places simply could not cope if the transition to electric cars and heat pumps is too rapid. A more realistic timetable for the transition is needed and we need to start now to increase the pace of investment in our electricity distribution network or, even if we generate enough power, we won’t be able to get enough to every house.

Finally, the cost. There is simply no good news here. Non-fossil fuel generation of electricity is going to be much more expensive than that generated by gas now. The upgrade to the energy generation and distribution network will cost billions. These bills can only be paid by us as taxpayers or customers.

The UK Government estimated that 30% of households were in fuel poverty in 2022. Further rises in energy bills will only make this worse.

Our governments, both UK and Scottish, need to start spelling out the real choices we need to make, their cost and how we will pay for it. Action is needed now.