Wise use of renewable energy in transport

Abstract

The transport sector accounts for around 25 % of global energy use, considering both fuel production and consumption. To mitigate climate change, a fast decarbonization of transport is therefore often seen as a necessity, as advocated by the International Energy Agency in its Net Zero by 2050 scenario. In contrast, Shell's Sky scenario envisages Net Zero by 2070 by first picking the lowest hanging fruits within all sectors, and hence a much slower de-carbonization of the transport sector. We investigate how renewables, a scarce resource over the next decades, could be used most wisely within the transport sector or alternatively within the energy sector. Our results stress that priority up to 2050 should be: First, to use new renewable energy to replace coal fired electricity production to nearly decarbonize the electricity grid; Second, to gradually electrify road transport; Third, continued use of fossil fuel in shipping and aviation.