Just as BP and Shell chose a time of plunging PV prices to exit solar completely and dig in for unconventional gas and oil, so now most utilities are giving up their pretences about renewables. In September, nine utility bosses went so far as to tell the European Parliament that renewables are threatening the continent’s energy security.

Speaking for the nine, the chief executive of GDF Suez, Gérard Mestralle, said: “We have to reduce the speed at which Europe is building new wind farms and solar panels.