Publication Date:
2022-09-21
Description:
The European energy system has been through a fundamental transformation since the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The transition involves several energy-generating and consuming sectors emphasizing sector coupling. The increase in the share of renewable energy sources has revealed the need for flexibility in the electri
city grid. Thus, holistic planning of pathways towards decarbonized energy systems also involves assessing the gas infrastructure to provide such a flexibility and support for the security of supply. In this paper, we propose a workflow to investigate such optimal energy transition pathways considering sector coupling. This workflow involves an integrated operational analysis of the electricity market, its transmission grid, and the gas grid in high spatio-temporal resolution. In a case study on a pan-European scale between 2020-2050, we show that carbon neutrality can be reached within feasible additional costs and in time. However, the manifestation of the potential pathways strongly depends on political and technological constraints. Sector coupling acts as an enabler of cross-border cooperation to achieve both, decarbonization and security of supply.
Language:
English
Type:
reportzib
,
doc-type:preprint
Format:
application/pdf
