By David Wildash

Britain has never had more renewable energy, nor paid so much for it.

In Scotland, wind and hydro schemes now generate around 113% of the nation’s annual electricity demand, a statistic that should signal success in the shift away from fossil fuels.

Yet energy prices remain among the highest in Europe. The Government has overtly applauded the potential benefits of AI and there is an opportunity to align key policies of growth with net zero ambitions, but not while Scottish data centres pay up to four times more for electricity than their Nordic competitors.

This contradiction exposes a deeper problem in how the UK manages its energy transition.

Britain’s electricity system was designed for a fossil-fuel era, not one dominated by renewables: coal and gas, not wind and sun. The physical grid and the associated electricity markets and codes lags behind the rise in renewables, which could deliver abundance. Instead, the result is that clean power is being wasted, while the energy sector - and consumers - continue to pay fossil-fuel prices.

The result is that clean power is being wasted, while the energy sector – and consumers – continue to pay fossil-fuel prices.

Energy is no longer the challenge; management is. The country has built a world-class renewable base but is still paying as though it relies on fossil fuels.

Unless markets and infrastructure catch up with reality, Britain risks falling behind in........

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