Comparing policy routes for low-carbon power technology deployment in EU – an energy system analysis

Sofia Simoes, Wouter Nijs, Pablo Ruiz, Alessandra Sgobbi and Christian Thiel

Energy Policy, 2017, vol. 101, issue C, 353-365

Abstract: The optimization energy system model JRC-EU-TIMES is used to support energy technology R&D design by analysing power technologies deployment till 2050 and their sensitivity to different decarbonisation exogenous policy routes. The policy routes are based on the decarbonised scenarios of the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 combining energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear or carbon capture and storage (CCS). A "reference" and seven decarbonised scenarios are modelled for EU28. We conclude on the importance of policy decisions for the configuration of the low carbon power sector, especially on nuclear acceptance and available sites for new RES plants. Differently from typical analysis focussing on technology portfolio for each route, we analyse the deployment of each technology across policy routes, for optimising technology R&D. R&D priority should be given to those less-policy-sensitive technologies that are in any case deployed rapidly across the modelled time horizon (e.g. PV), but also to those deployed up to their technical potentials and typically less sensitive to exogenous policy routes. For these ‘no regret’ technologies (e.g. geothermal), R&D efforts should focus on increasing their technical potential. For possibly cost-effective technologies very sensitive to the policy routes (e.g. CSP and marine), R&D efforts should be directed to improving their techno-economic performance.

Keywords: Power sector; Low-carbon; Energy system model; TIMES; EU28; Energy technology policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421516305493
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:101:y:2017:i:c:p:353-365

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.10.006

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().