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Can Europe run on renewable energy? A negative case

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  • Trainer, Ted

Abstract

The possibility of 100% renewable supply of European energy is analysed in terms of the amount of redundant plant required to cope with the intermittency of wind and solar energy, and the limited biomass potential. It is concluded that the capital cost would be unaffordable, and that biomass resources are insufficient.

Suggested Citation

  • Trainer, Ted, 2013. "Can Europe run on renewable energy? A negative case," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 845-850.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:63:y:2013:i:c:p:845-850
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.09.027
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    Cited by:

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    2. Capellán-Pérez, Iñigo & de Castro, Carlos & Arto, Iñaki, 2017. "Assessing vulnerabilities and limits in the transition to renewable energies: Land requirements under 100% solar energy scenarios," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 760-782.
    3. Carlos Castro & Iñigo Capellán-Pérez, 2018. "Concentrated Solar Power: Actual Performance and Foreseeable Future in High Penetration Scenarios of Renewable Energies," Biophysical Economics and Resource Quality, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 1-20, September.
    4. Trainer, Ted, 2017. "A critical analysis of the 2014 IPCC report on capital cost of mitigation and of renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 214-220.
    5. Wenxiu Wang & Yuejun Luo & Daiqing Zhao, 2023. "The Power Transition under the Interaction of Different Systems—A Case Study of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Carlos de Castro & Iñigo Capellán-Pérez, 2020. "Standard, Point of Use, and Extended Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI) from Comprehensive Material Requirements of Present Global Wind, Solar, and Hydro Power Technologies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-43, June.
    7. Heard, B.P. & Brook, B.W. & Wigley, T.M.L. & Bradshaw, C.J.A., 2017. "Burden of proof: A comprehensive review of the feasibility of 100% renewable-electricity systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1122-1133.
    8. Patrick Moriarty & Damon Honnery, 2020. "Feasibility of a 100% Global Renewable Energy System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    9. Adams, R. & Jamasb, J., 2016. "Optimal Power Generation Portfolios with Renewables: An Application to the UK," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1646, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    10. Ignacio Mauleón, 2020. "Economic Issues in Deep Low-Carbon Energy Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-32, August.
    11. Trainer, Ted, 2014. "The limits to solar thermal electricity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 57-64.
    12. Hansen, Kenneth & Breyer, Christian & Lund, Henrik, 2019. "Status and perspectives on 100% renewable energy systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 471-480.
    13. Deason, Wesley, 2018. "Comparison of 100% renewable energy system scenarios with a focus on flexibility and cost," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3168-3178.
    14. Patrick Moriarty & Damon Honnery, 2020. "New Approaches for Ecological and Social Sustainability in a Post-Pandemic World," World, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-14, October.
    15. Hong, Sanghyun & Bradshaw, Corey J.A. & Brook, Barry W., 2015. "Global zero-carbon energy pathways using viable mixes of nuclear and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 451-459.
    16. Ali, Babkir, 2018. "Comparative assessment of the feasibility for solar irrigation pumps in Sudan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 413-420.
    17. Trainer, Ted, 2013. "Limits to solar thermal energy set by intermittency and low DNI: Implications from meteorological data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 910-917.
    18. Regueiro-Ferreira, Rosa María & Alonso-Fernández, Pablo, 2023. "Interaction between renewable energy consumption and dematerialization: Insights based on the material footprint and the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    19. John W. Day & Christopher F. D’Elia & Adrian R. H. Wiegman & Jeffrey S. Rutherford & Charles A. S. Hall & Robert R. Lane & David E. Dismukes, 2018. "The Energy Pillars of Society: Perverse Interactions of Human Resource Use, the Economy, and Environmental Degradation," Biophysical Economics and Resource Quality, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-16, March.
    20. de Wildt, Tristan E. & Chappin, Emile J.L. & van de Kaa, Geerten & Herder, Paulien M., 2018. "A comprehensive approach to reviewing latent topics addressed by literature across multiple disciplines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 2111-2128.
    21. Trainer, Ted, 2017. "Some problems in storing renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 386-393.
    22. Fernandes, Liliana & Ferreira, Paula, 2014. "Renewable energy scenarios in the Portuguese electricity system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 51-57.
    23. Jacek Brożyna & Wadim Strielkowski & Aleš Zpěvák, 2023. "Evaluating the Chances of Implementing the “Fit for 55” Green Transition Package in the V4 Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-17, March.

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