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.
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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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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