MY letter of June 8 originally provided a link to the website the German daily, Der Spiegel, where the ‘Eurocent’ has finally dropped.

So what are the consequences as nuclear generation disappears from Germany’s power mix with planned increasing reliance on Green sources? Electricity’s real cost has increased substantially and will increase hugely.

Since the right-of-centre federal coalition took control, retail electricity prices have increased by more than ten per cent. One in ten German households already face severe financial difficulty. Threats that power supply companies will disconnect defaulters – so no heating, lighting or cooking facilities and no TV – is a reality.

Huge prices rises (30 to 50 per cent) are already scheduled for the autumn.

More than a year has passed since Japan’s Fukushima reactor disaster saw Germany’s Bundestag vote to phase out nuclear power plants, replaced where possible by re-newables. Yet serious discussion is only now beginning over the costs of this nuclear phase-out.

The UK has wind-farms, Germans look to their rooftops. Customers will pay €100 billion over the next 20 years to subsidise photo-voltaics installed before the end of 2011. This increased by €5 billion early this year.

There are lessons to be learned from watching what is happening in Germany.

Nick Blitz, South Lane, Haxby.