As expected, it triggers the expected responses from energy experts and commentators (and politicians). Let’s just take a brief look at what is being said.

On the one hand, we hear the call to exploit what gas is offshore and onshore (and yes some want fracking back on the political agenda) to hopefully make the UK self-sufficient in gas. The sentiment is hard to argue against but the economics of this route are unclear and the politics of fracking difficult.

On the other hand are those who say the crisis proves why we should stop using gas and have home grown energy we can control. The problem with this argument is that we need gas to back up the home-grown wind power that is supported, otherwise the lights go out. And, unless the Energy Secretary has developed Harry Potter-like powers, we can’t control the weather, so it’s a soundbite that falls at the first hurdle.

Meanwhile, last week I attended an event in Parliament that examined the role biomethane can play in the energy system. It is home grown and secure. It is a technology that is with us now, with over 130 sites injecting biomethane into the gas grid. Enough energy to heat a million homes, all done silently, no fuss, no breaking news, no government advertisements. For comparison purposes only, I make no judgement, there are fewer than 500,000 heat pumps in UK homes and businesses.

Yet again, the gas industry offering up a future without fuss. It just uses the technology we have already invested in to deliver a green future. At the same time as government is insisting local authorities adopt weekly food waste collections; to be digested and turned into biomethane, you would think this solution would be shouted from the rooftops. Let’s call it Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). Home grown, green, secure, cost effective but the only obvious drawback for Ed is there are no electrons.