If there's one thing that everyone involved in the debate over the UK's energy needs can agree on, it's that we need to move faster towards a low carbon future. Not only are there challenging climate change targets to hit, there is also worrying lack of certainty over investment in low carbon technology which could deter investment and hit economic growth.
Participants at a recent 'big energy debate' roundtable at Westminster, hosted by the Guardian, tackled the decarbonising challenge head on.
The latest government figures show that just 12% of the UK's energy comes from low carbon sources, while other countries - the leaders in the field - are hitting 41%. Roundtable participants agreed there was much to be done.
"Decarbonisation is a really, really big challenge" said the Institution of Engineering and Technology's Simon Harrison. "The pace and the trajectory of change at the moment are rather timid."
Richard Smith, head of strategy and policy at the National Grid, said while the shorter-term objectives of meeting the emissions reduction timetable were set, the longer term impact on supply and demand of replacement technology such as electric cars and wind turbines was difficult to predict.
"There is uncertainty," he said. "It's very hard to form a view of what might happen over the medium and longer term based on what we see today. We need to make sure we are not sleepwalking into the challenges and that we are scoping out the opportunities and understanding what the risks might be."
One of the key challenges is making sure the capacity is in place for a low carbon future. "We will need an active network of distribution and to be smarter at managing our existing assets more effectively and building new ones cost effectively," said Tony Glover, director of policy at the Energy Networks Association.
Advances in carbon capture and storage (CCS) could help significantly reduce emissions from power generation. CCS is often described as the "billion dollar prize" on which the UK could lead.
Dan Byles MP stressed CCS was particularly important because of the rise in coal use across the world. "It's not just about us doing it ourselves," he said. "Anything we can do to drive CCS globally will have a beneficial effect."
But a concerted effort is needed to make it happen. "CCS has big potential but we need to start thinking about the next phase and how we scale up the industry," added Richard Howard, chief economist at the Crown Estate.
Beyond investing in new sources of low carbon energy and reducing emissions, there's also work to be done in reducing demand. Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test and a member of the energy and climate change select committee, says, "It's about how efficiently we use our systems and what we do about demand-side reduction – making our homes and factories more energy-efficient so that demand is reduced. There are enormous gains to be made in how efficiently we use our systems."
"Things like better insulation are not particularly sexy topics but if we can take some demand out of the system that will be really important," he added.
Automation could help, with new technology currently being developed for managing energy use. But the "spy in the fridge", as participants dubbed it, will need to have proven benefits for consumers. "We have got to think long and hard about how we sell this to the consumer," said Mark Spencer, Conservative MP for Sherwood. "Look at ID cards or GM technology and how they were mis-sold. You have only got one shot at it and if you mess up you never recover from it."
There was support too for a wider look at how transport infrastructure, town planning and employment practices impact on energy use. A decarbonised future will mean changing our lifestyles. "It's about choices – how we manage our homes, how we manage our businesses and what are the choices we make," said Smith. "It will be a mixture of finding out how we can use less and having the right automation to help that."
At the table:
Karl Mathiesen, Guardian News and Media (chair)
Dan Byles MP
Therese Coffey MP
Glyn Davies MP
Tony Glover, Energy Networks Association
Simon Harrison, The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Richard Howard, The Crown Estate
Daniel Kenning, Institution Of Mechanical Engineers
Peter Lilley MP
Paul Maher, Siemens
Ann McKechin MP
David Mowat MP
Laura Sandys MP
Richard Smith, National Grid
Mark Spencer MP
Graham Stringer MP
Alan Whitehead MP
Roundtable report commissioned and controlled by the Guardian.
Discussion hosted to a brief agreed with the Big Energy Debate partners, and funded by the project. For more information on roundtables visit: theguardian.com/sponsored-content
This article is part of the Guardian's #bigenergydebate series. Click here to find out more about this project and our partners.