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Journal Article

Energy systems in scenarios at net-zero CO2 emissions

Authors

DeAngelo,  Julianne
External Organizations;

Azevedo,  Inês
External Organizations;

Bistline,  John
External Organizations;

Clarke,  Leon
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/Gunnar.Luderer

Luderer,  Gunnar
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Byers,  Edward
External Organizations;

Davis,  Steven J.
External Organizations;

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26434oa.pdf
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Citation

DeAngelo, J., Azevedo, I., Bistline, J., Clarke, L., Luderer, G., Byers, E., Davis, S. J. (2021): Energy systems in scenarios at net-zero CO2 emissions. - Nature Communications, 12, 6096.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26356-y


Cite as: https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_26434
Abstract
Achieving net-zero CO2 emissions has become the explicitgoal of many climate-energy policies around the world. Although many studies have assessed net-zero emissions pathways, the common features and tradeoffs of energy systems across global scenarios at the point of net-zero CO2 emissions have not yet been evaluated. Here, we examine the energy systems of 177 net-zero scenarios and discuss their long-term technological and regional characteristics in the context of current energy policies. We find that, on average, renewable energy sources account for 60% of primary energy at net-zero (compared to ∼14% today), with slightly less than half of that renewable energy derived from biomass. Meanwhile, electricity makes up approximately half of final energy consumed (compared to ∼20% today), highlighting the extent to which solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels remain prevalent in the scenarios even when emissions reach net-zero. Finally, residual emissions and offsetting negative emissions are not evenly distributed across world regions, which may have important implications for negotiations on burden-sharing, human development, and equity.