Very high penetration of renewable energy sources to the European electricity system in the context of model-based analysis of an energy roadmap towards a low carbon EU economy by 2050

Abstract

This paper examines a series of scenarios achieving progressively very high levels of renewable energy sources (RES) share in the European electricity generation mix in the context of a roadmap to a low carbon economy in Europe quantified using the PRIMES model. Such high RES penetration levels practically require particularly high deployment of wind and solar, which are variable, else intermittent, sources of power. Implications that this inconvenient characteristic could have on the development of the European electricity system are investigated in this paper. Two moderating technologies are modeled, simulated and analyzed in terms of their ability to deal with the issue of intermittency: a) storage of energy in the form of hydrogen, and b) new DC transmission grid investments. A set of results are provided, illustrating the effect of each of these technologies.