Speeches by Crichton.

“I hear what you are all saying: there are customers who are physically hard to reach, and you have mentioned consumer resistance. But you seem to be saying that, for the remaining 25% of consumers, we stick with the same system that is not getting to them. Surely, we need a rethink about how this is sold to consumers, …”

“Alex, in order to reach that 33%, or 75% in my area, are the energy suppliers the best people to engage consumers and get to the hard-to-reach people—those who do not want the meters, or who we cannot get to?”

“They are named and shamed, but do they lose money?”

“Ned, you mentioned that there are targets for energy suppliers. Do we know if they meet them? Are they audited? Do we have the data to find out if they are doing their job?”

“Thank you all for coming in. I have some questions for Ned and Alex on the role of energy suppliers, but first, Sara—I feel like I have to wave because I am a long way away—I want to challenge the 66% roll-out figure. Where I come from, on the western seaboard of Scotland, 75% of my constituents in Na h-Eileanan an Iar…”

“Thanks for coming in. A simple but profound question, I guess: why is community energy important?”

“Is community energy the way to give people access to energy, or can commercial provide it as well?”

“Finally, I am interested in failure as well as success. You have talked about projects that are vanity projects or inappropriate infrastructure. What are the ones that fail?”

“You are describing rural Scotland there rather well.”

“I think you anticipated my next question. Sarah, how can we ensure that community energy projects reduce inequality and poverty? Can we guarantee that?”

“You are describing rural Scotland there rather well.”

“I think you anticipated my next question. Sarah, how can we ensure that community energy projects reduce inequality and poverty? Can we guarantee that?”

“Finally, I am interested in failure as well as success. You have talked about projects that are vanity projects or inappropriate infrastructure. What are the ones that fail?”

“Hello, William and Ned. William, you are from a small village in Malawi. I am from a small village in Scotland. We have problems with the internet as well, so I understand why you cannot see us, and we also have windmills, William. Our district has built three windmills owned by the community, 9 MWh, £1 million a year …”

“Ned, can I ask you how you see that balance between the commercial viability of these things and their social impact?”

“Is community energy the way to give people access to energy, or can commercial provide it as well?”

“Thanks for coming in. A simple but profound question, I guess: why is community energy important?”

“Ned, can I ask you how you see that balance between the commercial viability of these things and their social impact?”

“Hello, William and Ned. William, you are from a small village in Malawi. I am from a small village in Scotland. We have problems with the internet as well, so I understand why you cannot see us, and we also have windmills, William. Our district has built three windmills owned by the community, 9 MWh, £1 million a year …”

“Angus, what do you think of that zero standing charge, the higher unit cost, and where that balance is, particularly with the lower income groups?”