Published on 07 April 2022
Overview
The European Union has committed to cut greenhouse gas emission by 55% compared to 1990 by 2030, a key milestone in reaching climate neutrality in 2050. It has been widely recognized that electricity will be the backbone of the energy system when it comes to a clean energy transition. In addition to growth of traditional electrical demand, we see a clear trend in terms of growing electrification of transportation, industry and building sectors. Renewables, led by wind and solar, will play a central role in the shift from fossil-based power generation, with evolving energy carriers like hydrogen complementing direct electrification and helping to address harder-to-abate sectors. This has been analysed in many reports, among others by ETIP Wind in 2021. Direct electrification, complemented with the indirect electrification of hard-to-abate sectors, is at the centre of the road to cut energy sector emissions to net-zero by 2050. A broad set of initiatives and programs has been launched to transform the power generation sector as well as demand in order to support this objective. However, all of these measures will only be successful if power grids will be available in due time and with the right capabilities.
