Modellers’ Exchange Workshop – Accelerating full decarbonisation: Resource optimisation in energy infrastructure planning’’

Highlights

The workshop aimed at presenting the preliminary modelling results based on the main objectives outlined in the PAC scenario, developed by consortium partners CAN Europe and EEB, during the first phase of the PAC project. While the modelling exercise has been carried out independently, the PAC scenario’s quantitative – political – objectives, showing necessary steps to reach full decarbonisation across Europe with renewable energy sources by latest 2040, offer an excellent base for further analysis.

RGI has started a collaboration with Hitachi Energy to model infrastructure needs to reach the following Paris Agreement objectives: 1) a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030; 2) net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040; and c) 100% renewables in Europe by 2040 in all sectors. Accelerating knowledge and a common understanding of practical challenges, is key for a full, citizen- and nature-oriented decarbonisation. On that front, the workshop has targeted energy system modellers, strategists, and planning experts, to discuss assumptions used, collect input and feedback on how to improve the study and decide on next steps.

Many thanks to all the participants who contributed to the insightful discussions.

The results from the PAC scenario published by CAN Europe and EEB in open-source format in June 2020 have been used in the analysis presented at this workshop as an exogeneous data point coming as input for the calculations in the model. The modelling exercise presentedat this workshopis therefore independent to the PAC scenario and its results are the sole responsibility of the authors and the respective organisations/companies they represent.