Council chooses to buy renewable energy

SCOTT Marmion is struggling to understand renewable energy (Letters, September 9). No one suggested that the solar photovoltaic panels on site at the charging hubs have the capacity to charge eight electric vehicles simultaneously, as he must understand, but they contribute.

He trundles out the tired cliché about the council’s electricity not coming from renewable sources because it comes from the Grid. Here’s how it works, Scott. Consumers get their electricity, self-evidently, from the nearest power station BUT we choose who we pay for our electricity. By paying a company that invests 100 per cent in renewable energy, the council ensures its money goes to renewable energy generators. The more people invest in renewable energy, the more is spent on solar PV farms, wind turbines, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power and so on. And that increases renewable energy production across the country.

The amount of electricity produced from coal has plummeted from nearly 40 per cent to around two per cent in just ten years. As for battery technology, that is changing all the time and, if the government acts, green hydrogen will soon be available.

Meanwhile my electric car is powered by the solar panels on my roof and the renewable energy I buy from the grid. Do keep up Scott.

Christian Vassie

Blake Court,

Wheldrake,

York

We still speak some Latin today!

I WOULD like to respond to G. Brian Ledger’s assertion that Latin has little use as a language.

We all know that Latin phrases are used in the legal and medical professions and still practised in some Catholic services.

While we can accept that Latin is no longer used as a spoken language, it would be hard for us to ignore the use of Latin terminology and phrases in the everyday use of English.

For example the word lunar i.e pertaining to the moon is derived from the Latin noun ‘luna’ meaning moon. The exit sign at every public building comes from the Latin command ‘ex ite’ meaning: Go out.

Another example is the word ‘nihil’ meaning ‘nothing’ – a direct link to ‘nil’ as in the English dictionary.

These are but a few examples which I believe demonstrates that Latin is still very much alive in our day today use of language.

I hope this neatly fits your postage stamp.

Fred Ring,

Holgate,

York