City-Level Transition to Low-Carbon Economy

Alfredo Višković,Angela Bašić-Šiško,Vladimir Franki

doi:10.3390/en15051737

Abstract

In recent years climate change has emerged as a global issue directly related to quality of life. In this context, one of the key goals in the next few decades will be to transition the global economy to a sustainable system. The nature of the energy planning process dictates the application of complex models. There is no universal solution to the energy planning problem. Each territory requires a bespoke strategy aimed at utilising its specific potential. The research presented in this paper explores reaching a zero-carbon energy system at the city level. It establishes a step-by-step decarbonisation method and proposes an energy transition index (ETI). The index presented is used to evaluate different renewable energy sources (RES) deployment scenarios in the context of affordability, self-reliance, and sustainability. The main aspects and barriers of deploying sustainable energy solutions are also explored. Some of the key challenges of RES deployment are identified as capital intensity, output variability, and the regulatory framework. The approach applied in the paper focuses on a city-level strategy in line with the goal of satisfying demand through local energy sources. The presented analysis offers two basic conclusions: (1) each territory requires a bespoke strategy that can optimally utilise its energy potential and (2) building a local zero-carbon system can be feasible only by implementing energy storage technologies.

Highlights

During the past few decades, a number of long-held tenets regarding the energy sector have been rewritten
Following other established methods [104], the energy transition index (ETI) used to evaluate urban decarbonisation pathways is comprised of the following indicators: affordability, self-reliance, and sustainability
Fundamental changes facilitated by numerous disparate trends and led by the surge of renewables produced new understandings regarding optimal development strategies

Summary

Introduction

During the past few decades, a number of long-held tenets regarding the energy sector have been rewritten. During the few decades, one of the key goals will be to transition the global economy to a sustainable system [4]. In this context, sustainability is directly linked to reducing the use of fossil fuels and decreasing CO2 emissions. The deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) is seen by many as a crucial solution to the energy and environmental problems that the world is facing [5]. There has been a proliferation of new technological solutions, business innovations, and policies aimed at decarbonising the power sector [6]. Governments worldwide set ambitious emission reduction goals and instated policies aimed at incentivising the implementation of RES [7]. Several countries are already planning to reach 100% renewable energy systems in the near future (such as Sweden [8] and Denmark [9]), while some practically already have zero-carbon energy systems (Iceland [10] and Norway [11])

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion