The island of Eigg is suffering a power cut. An inconvenience most might think. But not when it could be permanent.

Just six months after it won countless awards for being the first community in the UK to become totally reliant on green energy, it’s running out.

Renewable energy, point out the sceptics is not quite as renewable as the green lobby make out to be.

The water that the islands 95 inhabitants rely on to drive their mini hydro plant to boil their kettles and light their homes is running out thanks to the recent prolonged warm spell. The islanders who were given a £300,000 grant for their efforts have now switched back on their diesel generators. The combined wind and sun power plants are not enough to make up the shortfall.

Now sceptics may be gloating, but this mini crisis on one Scotland’s smallest inhabited islands proves a very serious point for the rest of the country.

The current government has made a huge play on the renewable energy card backing its development to the tune of millions. And rightly so Scotland has potentially some of the best renewable source in Europe. But the key word here is potentially, no one in the industry knows for sure how much of this potential can be realised and exploited and indeed if it will be enough to service the energy needs of the whole country.

Eigg could be seen as a microcosm of the whole country if it too becomes wholly reliant on renewable energy.

The islanders thought they were self reliant in energy and when the scheme launched they were.

But weather is fickle and now they are running short. But luckily they have diesel generators for back up. If a whole country reliant on renewable ran out they wouldn’t have the option. They’d need to import energy from abroad.

Now surely this would be irresponsible government at its worst. Is ensuring security of energy supply not fundamental to the government’s duty to the people it serves? To risk it is putting the very economy and well being of the country at risk.

That is why as well as investing in the most innovative renewable technology the Scottish government has to look again at have having its own diesel generator back up in the form of nuclear with the consistency and security of supply on tap that no other form of energy can offer.

If the whole country runs out of power thanks to an overreliance on green energy governments present and future be could be left with more than Eigg on their face.