SolarPower Europe and LUT University have launched a new report that models a 100% renewables scenario for Europe to reach climate neutrality before 2050. The study is the first of its kind to model a fully renewable pathway to achieving climate neutrality for the European energy system, presenting three transition pathways, with varying levels of ambition.
A key finding of the report is that the low ambition pathway in Europe is a burden for society, from both a climate change and economic perspective. The 100% renewable scenarios result in lower per unit energy costs and show that achieving climate neutrality by 2050 is more cost-effective compared to a lower level of ambition. The report, 100% Renewable Europe: How to make Europe’s energy system climate neutral before 2050, was launched during a webinar with a presentation from Paula Abreu Marques, Head of Unit Renewables and CCS Policy European Commission. The LUT Energy System Transition model used in this study is applied across an integrated energy system covering demand from power, heat, and transport sectors, which enables the modelling of cost-optimal energy system transition pathways on high levels of geo-spatial (20 regions in Europe) and temporal (hourly) resolutions.