Prioritizing the role of renewable fuels and hydrogen networks in the transition towards net zero emissions in Western Europe

Julien Jacquemin, Paolo Thiran and Sylvain Quoilin

Energy, 2025, vol. 314, issue C

Abstract: Recent developments in the European Union’s energy strategy have highlighted the significance of renewable fuels for the sustainability of the continent’s energy system. However, their diverse production methods and end-use possibilities, along with untapped cross-sectoral synergies, call for energy modeling to identify optimal pathways for renewable fuel production and utilization. To comprehend the complex mechanisms driving the energy transition, we analyze the potential roles of each renewable fuel and hydrogen interconnections as we increase carbon dioxide emission restrictions. Making use of the model EnergyScope MultiCell, this study encompasses the electricity, buildings, transport, agriculture, and industry sectors across Western Europe, employing an hourly time resolution. The results reveal that renewable fuels prove effective in reducing the final 20% of emissions compared to 1990 levels. Regarding hydrogen use, 80% of the 3300 TWh yearly production is used as an intermediate energy vector for producing other fuels, while the rest is used in road freight transportation and in the steel industry. A hydrogen network facilitates the energy transition by reducing its costs by 7.5%. Despite this, gas infrastructures remain valuable assets, with only 45% of hydrogen interconnections being retrofitted gas pipelines, underscoring their importance for renewable gas exchanges.

Keywords: Energy system; Renewable fuels; Energy planing; Multi-sectoral; Net zero; Hydrogen network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544224038477
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:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224038477

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134069

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

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