In an earlier report, the Royal Academy of Engineering had mapped out the scale of the task involved in moving to a low-carbon electricity supply - with a mix of energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear and clean coal.

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Another is to allow local people to be able to choose low-carbon local energy sources, rather than being obliged to rely on large-scale electricity grids run on polluting coal.

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The main debate is on the second reading of the Energy Bill, which seeks to reform the electricity market and provide a new framework for low-carbon generation.

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