Abstract
Energy policy makers need information about the greenhouse gas reduction potential that could be realized by changes to the operation of the currently existing European power plant fleet to enable short-term actions. Possible measures could reduce the climate impact of the European electricity system and, additionally, be realized quickly as new investments are avoided. In this paper, the Calliope based energy system model Stella of the European electricity system is presented and used for the first time, with the goal to quantify cost and CO 2 emissions optimal operation strategies of the existing European power plant fleet. By applying the model to six scenarios the results show that the greenhouse gas emissions of the European power plant fleet could be reduced by more than 50% with little additional costs compared to today’s power generation mix. It is shown that historic power plant operation follows only economic considerations while not fully covering its climate impact. The results demonstrate to policy makers the scale of reduction potential that could be achieved by short-term actions.
Highlights
Identification and evaluation of climate change mitigation strategies is a key objective of energy systems analysis
As climate change progresses [1] and the pressure on energy policy makers to act rises, more and more resources are directed into the development and usage of corresponding energy system models in particular and the field of systems analysis in general [2]
Energy system models are applied to answer research questions that are not limited to the resilience of energy systems [3], the impact of changing heating and cooling demand due to climate change [4] or the altering potentials of electricity generation by renewable energies [5]
Summary
Identification and evaluation of climate change mitigation strategies is a key objective of energy systems analysis. Energy system models are applied to answer research questions that are not limited to the resilience of energy systems [3], the impact of changing heating and cooling demand due to climate change [4] or the altering potentials of electricity generation by renewable energies [5]. The following studies show applications of large-scale multi-regional energy system models in context of climate change mitigation strategies: Löffler et al [6] use the global energy system model GENeSYS to model scenarios with special focus on coupling of electricity, transportation and heating sectors with a time frame up to the year 2050. Fattori et al [8]
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