Radical transformation pathway towards sustainable electricity via evolutionary steps
Open accessAbstract
A transition towards long-term sustainability in global energy systems based on renewable energy resources can mitigate several growing threats to human society simultaneously: greenhouse gas emissions, human-induced climate deviations, and the exceeding of critical planetary boundaries. However, the optimal structure of future systems and potential transition pathways are still open questions. This research describes a global, 100% renewable electricity system, which can be achieved by 2050, and the steps required to enable a realistic transition that prevents societal disruption. Modelling results show that a carbon neutral electricity system can be built in all regions of the world in an economically feasible manner. This radical transformation will require steady but evolutionary changes for the next 35 years, and will lead to sustainable and affordable power supply globally.
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The high dynamic flexibility of electrolyzers in conjunction with decreasing capex allows a most valuable demand response leading to very effective energy system integration of variable renewables, reducing curtailment, higher costing storage demand and total system cost.
“The high dynamic flexibility of electrolyzers [181] in conjunction with decreasing capex [95,126] allows a most valuable demand response leading to a very effective energy system integration of variable renewables, in particular solar PV and wind energy, thus reducing curtailment, higher costing storage demand and total system cost.”
From Global Transportation Demand Development with Impacts on the Energy Demand and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Climate-Constrained World (2019) · cites this paper as [95]
Renewable electricity costs further decline, and solar PV is projected to continue outstanding cost decline to historically unrivalled levels, enabling multiple power-to-X processes.
“Renewable electricity costs further decline [95], and thereof solar PV is projected to continue the outstanding cost decline to historically unrivalled levels [162] enabling multiple power-to-X processes [163].”
From Global Transportation Demand Development with Impacts on the Energy Demand and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Climate-Constrained World (2019) · cites this paper as [95]
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- Authors
- Bogdanov, D., Farfan, J., Sadovskaia, K., Aghahosseini, A., Child, M., Gulagi, A., Oyewo, A. S., de Souza Noel Simas Barbosa, L., & Breyer, C.
- Affiliations
- Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Bogdanov, Dmitrii
- Breyer, Christian
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2019-03-06
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1077-1077
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6403340
- OpenAlex
- W2918495910
- Cited by
- 649
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 37 · 2025: 77 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 89 · 2022: 93 · 2021: 137 · 2020: 108 · 2019: 28
- FWCI
- 32.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt
- Tekes (40101/14, 880/31/2016)
- Fortums Stiftelse
- Stiftung Mercator
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Integrated Energy Systems Optimization
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Renewable Energy and Sustainability
- Keywords
- 100% renewable electricity, energy transition pathways, carbon neutrality, renewable energy systems, evolutionary change, economic feasibility, greenhouse gas emissions, planetary boundaries, sustainable power supply, global energy system
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