Energy awareness amonst the CEOs and FDs of the country's business community is almost nil. The level of awareness extends purely to "cash out the door per month". The usage, efficiency, supplier, rates are all a black hole to most, and the idea of an energy strategy is an alien concept to but a few. As a consultant to a wide range of business I see managers of hotels that know the exact pence per room that their tea and biscuits cost, but have no idea who their energy supplier and the fact they are paying >£10,000 per year too much! A successful company that is happily paying four times the market rates for electricty (circa £5,000 per month) while its sales margin is <3%. Until business professionals wake up and smell the cash flooding out of the back door and the see the kWhrs flowing up through the atmosphere little will change. Energy is not something that should be left in inexperienced hands, it represents a strategic expense going forward that will only become more so.

Richard Dormer, Exeter,

We are slowly turning ourselves into a third-world nation. So much of our infrastructure is struggling to cope with our burgeoning population. Our collective quality of life is sinking fast and I feel that energy supply is just one of the more obvious examples of privilege which we have taken for granted for far too long.

I also feel that setting ourselves carbon emission targets at a national level to be fundamentally flawed as it takes no account whatever of these population changes. Such changes are surely the main deciding factor on a nations environmental impact in all areas of which carbon is just one, fashionable, example.

Calculating our environmental impact, including carbon emissions, on a mean value per-head basis would also reflect more accurately the wonderful and selfless sacrifices made by so many in their daily lives. If such a calculation was made it would also make it far more meaningful to us ordinary folks and be a far more honest assessment of the situation.

Tyke,, Yorkshire,

It seems over the years people have rejected nuclear power because of fear of an accident causing unexceptable polution and preferred coal, gas or oil power plants.
But these are part of a much worse global crisis.
If people want security of energy difficult decisions need to be made.

John, London, UK

Despite vocal lobbying, Renewables cannot be the whole answer but are a valuable contribution to a mixed picture which needs financial support and incentives. Equally, gas fired power generation can only be a bridging technology to something else in the future. The key questions are what is this "something else" (currently nuclear is the only baseload generation that stacks up in light of GHG emmissions commitments already made) and how soon/ quickly can we build the necessary replacement power stations and generators of all kinds. This will all be down to the commercial realities of the day which we can't effect but something we (Joe Public) can do is be much, much more efficient in our use electricity.

LAB, Surrey, UK

We can now store wind energy with a new technology that's been tried and tested in a few locations, but now needs the sort of mainstream backing currently given to nuclear, it's called 'Vanadium Redox Energy Storage', -charged up from wind farms, it would enable us to enjoy wind power on demand 24/7, at a much cheaper cost then inflexable nuclear. Google 'sorne hill wind farm', Clive, Didcot Power Station.

But we also need turbines -big or small, we need them all!

Clive, Didcot, Oxfordshire, Oxon

The start of this article neglects to mention that a power crisis in "only eight years" is at the conservative end of estimates my personal prediction is summer of 2008 and it is based on facts in the public domain.

In reality we have been teetering near this precipice since 2003 and the brown paper and sticking plaster solutions will only carry us so far. One bad storm at peak demand times could literally put half the country into day long blackouts.

Nathan, Chester,

You may call it Vanadium Redox Energy Storage, but it's still a battery. Sorne Hill has, I believe, a 1.5MW 8 hour unit. How many is it suggested are needed for a winter peak load of getting on for 60,000MW during a winter anticyclone where there is no wind across the contry for days on end with freezing temperatures? Powering UK from batteries and windmills is a ludicrous concept.
To expect some base load renewable 'silver bullet' technology to emerge in a very few years is just as silly. The only tide power machine deployed in UK in recent years produced about enough power to boil a kettle and was carried away in the first storm.
To produce 1000MW from biomass would require a coppiced forest the size of North Wales. To replace nuclear needs about 20000MW. Do the sums yourself.
People need to realistic about the amount ofpower which can be reasonably expected from renewables. Without nuclear the country will be reduced to penury. Get real

Andy Martin, Crewe,

I was surprised that the article, although acknowledging that North Sea oil has peaked, failed to mention that global oil production also has peaked or is just at the peak and that NG is expected to peak within 10 years of the oil peak.
So I don't see where the import of 80-90% of gas needs is going to come from.

Micki, Melbourne,

We can now store wind energy with a new technology that's been tried and tested in a few locations, but now needs the sort of mainstream backing currently given to nuclear, it's called 'Vanadium Redox Energy Storage', -charged up from wind farms, it would enable us to enjoy wind power on demand 24/7, at a much cheaper cost then inflexable nuclear. Googlr 'sorne hill wind farm', Clive, Didcot Power Station.

Clive, Didcot, Oxfordshire, Oxon

I was surprised to see that although they acknowledge that North Sea oil has peaked they completely left out the fact Global oil production has peaked or is at it's peak and that NG is expected to peak within 10 years.

Micki, Melbourne,

The ineptness of Government on the issue of energy security is staggering. Another energy white paper this week? Less than a year after the last energy review? Which itself was less than three years after the previous one. All through this time four things have been crystal clear:

1) the nuclear fleet decommission schedule
2) the decommission of older coal infrastructure
3) the depletion of North Sea oil and gas reserves
4) that renewables and conservation weren’t going to mitigate the above

…and yet nothing has been done. It is clear that the UK will face an electricity crisis within the next decade, new nuclear build is irrelevant to this issue as it can’t come online soon enough.

Chris Vernon, Bristol, UK

The answer is, of course, renewable energy systems that can deliver base load electricity 24/7 - but nobody is prepared to go beyond a plethora of intermittent schemes - wind, wave, hydro, tidal etc.

A sea change is needed so that ROCs are only paid out on non-intermittent renewable energy systems - starting from now. Necessity in the Mother of invention - and this simple move will concentrate minds wonderfully!

Andrew H Mackay, Tain, Scotland

While I fully support energy conservation and reduction of emissions, I do wonder if this story is more about scaremongering so that the government can sink more money into nuclear power stations. Of course, with a fully active nuclear programme, production of material for nuclear weapons can conveniently be regarded as a sideline.

If the nuclear power plants were all closed in favour of biomass plants, production of nuclear material for weapons would have to be in a stand alone facility that would be more obviously accountable.

Steve Parker, Leeds,

This is the worst energy-prospect post I have ever seen in western media - ever ....
How could this happen ? I reckon you all slept for the last 10 years, waky waky its noon. Where would this put the nice chap Mr Blair in a historical perspective ... alongside Neville Chamberlain I guess? -

Imediate actions
- reduce speed limits for motorists - widespread common transports eg. bus - reintroduce the tramway
- plumb the cars
- maximum thresholds for electricity/gas usage in private housholds ( make double dinners every second day - reheating saves energy -and so forth) -----

Than sit down - have a strong coffee , tea would not help

God save the queen - and god bless the UK

Relax - the Vikings will not come back ..... BUT the Stirling is too strong and YOU are moving too much papers down in City

All the best - from Norway

Paul, bergen, norway