The energy mix

No one fuel source provides all the answers. But the challenge of the energy gap is by no means insurmountable. Used together, different generating technologies have individual strengths that help to make up for each other's weaknesses.

Using energy efficiently can play a vital role in bridging the energy gap by reducing demand – from businesses and individual consumers. The Government estimates the UK could cut demand by 18% through efficiency measures.

Wind turbines are a low-carbon way of converting wind energy into electricity. They can only do that when the wind is blowing, of course, but the UK is one of the windiest places in Europe. However, there’s resistance to building big wind farms across the countryside, whereas offshore turbines are more expensive to build and maintain.

Sunshine is renewable and free but solar panels are currently expensive and the UK doesn’t have the climate or the latitude to make solar the answer to the energy gap. Nevertheless, solar energy is likely to play a role in microgeneration with individual homeowners and businesses using it to keep their electricity bills down and shrink their carbon footprints.

Hydropower is low-carbon and reliable. Hydroelectric power stations can run for around 100 years, making the electricity they produce low-cost over the long run. But all the best UK sites are already taken, so there’s a limit to how many could be built to fill the energy gap.

Nuclear power stations are low-carbon and, after several decades of development, can now generate electricity reliably and more cheaply than other low-carbon technologies. Waste and safety are still big public concerns, but the industry is comprehensively regulated and has made safety its priority.

Of all the fossil fuels, gas emits the least carbon. Gas-fired power stations are also reliable and can currently generate electricity affordably. But the UK is heavily reliant on imported gas, the cost of which is likely to rise as world demand increases.

Britain has relied on coal for generating reliable electricity for around 100 years, but these days it is increasingly imported. Coal is a big carbon emitter, so the UK Government has ruled that no new coal-fired power stations are to be built until technology is developed to reduce emissions.

Oil is pricey compared to other fuels and burning it emits a lot of carbon. The UK has only three oil-fired power stations left, which are used to meet peak demand. Even those are scheduled to close by 2015.