Distinct roles of direct and indirect electrification in pathways to a 
renewables-dominated European energy system

Schreyer, Felix; Ueckerdt, Falko; Pietzcker, Robert C.; Rodrigues, Renato; Rottoli, Marianna; Madeddu, Silvia; Pehl, Michaja; Hasse, Robin; Luderer, Gunnar

doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2024.01.015

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Journal Article

Distinct roles of direct and indirect electrification in pathways to a renewables-dominated European energy system

Authors

/persons/resource/Felix.Schreyer

Schreyer, Felix
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Falko.Ueckerdt

Ueckerdt, Falko
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Robert.Pietzcker

Pietzcker, Robert C.
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/renato.rodrigues

Rodrigues, Renato
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Rottoli

Rottoli, Marianna
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Silvia.Madeddu

Madeddu, Silvia
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/michaja.pehl

Pehl, Michaja
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/robin.krekeler

Hasse, Robin
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Gunnar.Luderer

Luderer, Gunnar
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

External Ressource

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10522863
(Supplementary material)

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mmc2.pdf
(Publisher version), 7MB

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Citation

Schreyer, F., Ueckerdt, F., Pietzcker, R. C., Rodrigues, R., Rottoli, M., Madeddu, S., Pehl, M., Hasse, R., Luderer, G. (2024): Distinct roles of direct and indirect electrification in pathways to a renewables-dominated European energy system. - One Earth, 7, 2, 226-241.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.01.015

Cite as: https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_29618

Abstract

Renewable electricity can facilitate climate change mitigation in the buildings, industry and transport sector via direct electrification or indirect electrification, that is, converting electricity to hydrogen-based fuels. While direct electrification is generally energy efficient, indirect electrification can partially build upon existing applications and infrastructure. However, their roles and relative importance have not been well researched in mitigation scenarios. Here, we derive plausible ranges for both strategies based on EU climate neutrality scenarios using the REMIND model. We find that by 2050 direct electrification is the dominant strategy with an electricity share of 42%–60% in final energy, while indirect electrification is necessary in hard-to-electrify sectors and contributes a share of 9%–26%. Our analysis highlights that policy makers should respect the distinct sectoral roles of both strategies by fostering an end-use transformation towards direct electrification while prioritizing hydrogen and synthetic fuels for applications where they are indispensable.