Global energy transition to 100% renewables by 2050: Not fiction, but much needed impetus for developing economies to leapfrog into a sustainable future

Ram, Manish; Bogdanov, Dmitrii; Aghahosseini, Arman; Gulagi, Ashish; Oyewo, Ayobami Solomon; Mensah, Theophilus Nii Odai; Child, Michael; Caldera, Upeksha; Sadovskaia, Kristina; Barbosa, Larissa de Souza Noel Simas; Fasihi, Mahdi; Khalili, Siavash; Traber, Thure; Breyer, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2022.123419

Cited by 62 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…The LUT-ESTM links to the first hourly global 0.45°x0.45° mapping of a cost-optimized solar-wind-battery-e-methane-GT hybrid energy system [140]. It also detailed insights for previously neglected regions in the Global South [141] and identified new effects not observed before, such as a battery-PtX effect [142] and a new pattern to mitigate the challenges of the monsoon in India [143]. The LUT-ESTM is currently regarded as among the most advanced models for long-term energy system transition analyses according to Prina et al [135].…”

Section: Milestones In the History Of 100% Renewable Energy Systems A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the History and Future of 100% Renewable Energy Systems Research

et al. 2022

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Research on 100% renewable energy systems is a relatively recent phenomenon. It was initiated in the mid-1970s, catalyzed by skyrocketing oil prices. Since the mid-2000s, it has quickly evolved into a prominent research field encompassing an expansive and growing number of research groups and organizations across the world. The main conclusion of most of these studies is that 100% renewables is feasible worldwide at low cost. Advanced concepts and methods now enable the field to chart realistic as well as cost-or resource-optimized and efficient transition pathways to a future without the use of fossil fuels. Such proposed pathways in turn, have helped spur 100% renewable energy policy targets and actions, leading to more research. In most transition pathways, solar energy and wind power increasingly emerge as the central pillars of a sustainable energy system combined with energy efficiency measures. Costoptimization modeling and greater resource availability tend to lead to higher solar photovoltaic shares, while emphasis on energy supply diversification tends to point to higher wind power contributions. Recent research has focused on the challenges and opportunities regarding grid congestion, energy storage, sector coupling, electrification of transport and industry implying power-to-X and hydrogen-to-X, and the inclusion of natural and technical carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches. The result is a holistic vision of the transition towards a net-negative greenhouse gas emissions economy that can limit global warming to 1.5˚C with a clearly defined carbon budget in a sustainable and cost-effective manner based on 100% renewable energy-industry-CDR systems. Initially, the field encountered very strong skepticism. Therefore, this paper also includes a response to major critiques against 100% renewable energy systems, and also discusses the institutional inertia that hampers adoption by the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as possible negative connections to community acceptance and energy justice. We conclude by discussing how this emergent research field can further progress to the benefit of society.

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Section: Milestones In the History Of 100% Renewable Energy Systems A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the History and Future of 100% Renewable Energy Systems Research

et al. 2022

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“…In the normative, goal-oriented scenarios considered in this study, it is assumed that joint cooperation and international agreements among nations would take place making a radical energy transition feasible and economically viable for all countries worldwide. This needs to be powered by the support of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments and policymakers, especially those from developed countries, in order to de-risk the projects through a range of guarantee mechanisms for developing countries [136]. This includes, for example, commitment to the planned framework, increased transparency around bid solicitation, and enhanced communication with utility planners and developers [137].…”

Section: Uncertainties and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy system transition pathways to meet the global electricity demand for ambitious climate targets and cost competitiveness

et al. 2023

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“…The necessity to provide financial and technological resources to emerging economies can have different explanations. Some argue that advanced economies have benefited from energy-intensive industries and fossil fuels in the XX century and reached their current wealth and position in the global arena (Ram et al, 2022), so they have to take the main burden of climate change mitigation. As concerns the reduction of global emissions, it is worth noting that financial resources invested in non-OECD countries bring more significant results, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Return of Coal: A Short Visit or a Long Stay?

Medzhidova¹

2022

brics-econ

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Despite the existence of global targets to slow the pace of climate change, coal remains one of the most commonly used fuels that accounts for over 25% of the global energy supply and consumption. Multiple factors explain why coal is still widely used: its relatively low prices, availability in developing countries, low transportation costs and path dependence, i.e. the existing energy infrastructure. Coal consumption in developing (non-OECD) countries has been rising thanks to the processes in India and China but in 2021, however, it increased in the OECD countries as well. The uneven and often atypical post-COVID-19 recovery driven by manufacturing created disruptions in energy markets with high and volatile prices of coal’s main substitute - natural gas. The first in history and hence unexpected slowdown in the RES supply in 2021 added to the reversal of trends exactly at the time of the COP26 in Glasgow. The goal of our study is to examine the coal markets in the new complex environment determined by both economic and political factors: high commodity prices, rising inflation, decelerating economic growth, and sanctions against exporters. In this paper we analyze the major trends before 2020, the current processes, and their implications for the future in the context of choice between economic development and energy transition including the issue of stranded assets and their possible reopening.

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Global energy transition to 100% renewables by 2050: Not fiction, but much needed impetus for developing economies to leapfrog into a sustainable future

Cited by 62 publications

References 54 publications

On the History and Future of 100% Renewable Energy Systems Research

On the History and Future of 100% Renewable Energy Systems Research

Energy system transition pathways to meet the global electricity demand for ambitious climate targets and cost competitiveness

Return of Coal: A Short Visit or a Long Stay?

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