Path to a decarbonised future

Technology choices and policies are available to create a zero-carbon energy system in Europe by 2050, keep the economy competitive and secure a favourable deal for citizens, concludes a podcast by EU scream produced in conjunction with FORESIGHT Climate & Energy.

The findings are based on a report from Cambridge Econometrics and Element Energy for the European Climate Foundation, which examines six possible configurations of a zero-carbon energy system in Europe by 2050 with varying degrees of reliance on electrification and green gas.

All scenarios show both electrification and green gases, namely hydrogen, as necessary to decarbonise the EU by mid-century. The significance of their respective roles remains an open question, though the “breakthrough scenario”, in which efficiency measures and smart electrification are maximised and hydrogen only used in large quantities to meet peak demand, such as to generate electricity for heating in winter, is the clear winner. Infrastructure costs are lower than under a high green gas scenario, home energy bills would decrease and more jobs would be created.

Lisa Fischer from think tank E3G believes the ball is now in the gas industry’s court to prove whether and how it can get “to full climate neutrality” before policy makers agree to hand over investment aimed at giving green gas a more significant role in the European energy transition.

Listen here to the full discussion with Fisher, experts from the European Commission, and the electricity and hydrogen industries.

Some things are not negotiable

Modelling aimed at creating a zero-carbon energy system by 2050 will never be perfect, but a new report shows enough knowledge now exists to make clear decisions about the infrastructure and investments needed to move forward in the right direction, writes Lisa Fischer, Senior Policy Adviser at think-tank E3G

Gas in transition

Cleaning up gas is key to its future in a decarbonised energy mix

Good policies will allow heavy industry to drive a European clean energy economy

FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally.

Methane sequestered and waste heat put to work

Germany is testing whether a nitrate salt thermal storage system could aid the provision of process steam for industry while earning subsidies for capturing emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and combusting it for energy supply

Molten salt heat storage

Researchers in Germany are looking at further developing molten salt technology as a means to store heat and produce electricity