European Union (EU) can manage climate neutrality with 100% renewables

A 100% renewable energy system enables the EU to become climate neutral before 2050, complying with an ambitious 1.5°C Paris Agreement target, and without resorting to carbon sinks. SolarPower Europe and LUT (Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology) University’s modelling shows that it is possible for Europe to reach 100% renewables by 2050 in a Moderate scenario, and by 2040 in a Leadership scenario. It was highlighted that a 100% renewable energy system is the most cost-effective way of becoming climate neutral by 2050. The cumulative costs of achieving a 100% renewable energy by 2050 in the Moderate scenario are 6% lower than the cost of inadequate action in the less ambitious Laggard scenario, which reaches only 62% renewables by 2050, thus missing both the targets of European climate neutrality, The 100% renewable energy system is primarily a solar story. In both of the modelled 100% renewable scenarios, solar generates more than 60% of EU electricity by 2050. In the long run, solar and wind are the two main pillars of the European energy transition. Due to its higher capacity factors, wind energy provides the highest shares of electricity generation up to 2030, however, solar’s versatility and cost-competitiveness will make it the main source of electricity generation from 2030 onwards. It’s a great outlook for solar’s future in Europe.