Energy | Working Paper
Decarbonizing the European Electric Power Sector by 2050: A tale of three studies
31 January 2011
BY: DELARUE Erik, Leonardo Meeus, Ronnie Belmans , D'HAESELEER William, Jean-Michel Glachant
If Europe is serious about climate change, it has to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, thereby effectively going to a (near-) zero carbon energy and thus, electricity system. The European Climate Foundation, Eurelectric, and the International Energy Agency have consequently published a study elaborating on the final goal of this transition. The studies project scenarios of how such a (near-) zero electricity system would look like and provide recommendations on the policies needed to guide the transition. In this paper, we observe that these studies tell a tale with many similarities. In spite of increased energy efficiency, the electricity demand is projected to increase substantially, with up to 50% from today towards 2050, due to shifts from other sectors towards electricity. This demand will be supplied by a minimum of 40% electricity generation by RES, with the remainder being filled up with nuclear and fossils with CCS. The importance of grid reinforcement, expansion, and planning in this context is emphasized in all three studies. While all three studies further recommend relying on the EU ETS for the transition, the European Climate Foundation and the International Energy Agency consider continuing with targets for RES in combination with a more harmonized EU RES support scheme.
logo cadmus Read it on Cadmus Download in open access

LATEST FSR PUBLICATIONS

Other
Rail has a key role to play in making transport more efficient and sustainable in the EU and elsewhere. However, increasing passenger and cargo volumes require investment in infrastructure, and [...]
Technical Report
In this work, we present the major application and impact areas of Contracts-for-Difference (CfDs) in a European context, describe the most relevant design dimensions and discuss several design packages for [...]
Other
After years of record announcements, frantic policy development and the establishment of substantial public support mechanisms, the clean hydrogen sector is nearing an inflexion point. Many clean hydrogen projects have [...]
Other
The safeguarding of critical offshore energy infrastructure has assumed a heightened level of urgency in the wake of the Nord Stream pipeline explosions in September 2022 and the suspected sabotage [...]
Other
The Performance Review Commission (PRC) is an independent body supported by EUROCONTROL with a remit to review and report on European air traffic management (ATM) performance. While performance has improved [...]
Technical Report
As part of the LIFE COASE project, the first Net Zero Carbon Market Policy Dialogue (NZCMPD) was held in September 2023 to discuss the latest developments and challenges faced by [...]

Join our community

To meet, discuss and learn in the channel that suits you best.

scroll

top