Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?

Historically, long-waves have characterized transformations of the energy systems. There is not much reason to assume that our current energy system is here to stay. One possible future option is that renewables will provide all energy needed. While many scenarios exist showing that this is technica...

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Main Authors: Caroline Zimm, José Goldemberg, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Sebastian Busch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-11-01
Series:Energy Strategy Reviews
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X1930094X
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author Caroline Zimm
José Goldemberg
Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Sebastian Busch
author_facet Caroline Zimm
José Goldemberg
Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Sebastian Busch
author_sort Caroline Zimm
collection DOAJ
description Historically, long-waves have characterized transformations of the energy systems. There is not much reason to assume that our current energy system is here to stay. One possible future option is that renewables will provide all energy needed. While many scenarios exist showing that this is technically feasible, the related costs, speed of technology diffusion and social and political acceptance of such an energy transition are fiercely debated, both in the scientific field as well as in politics. Yet, there is growing consensus that renewables are becoming established as a key building block in the energy system, irrespective of the exact shares they represent. The focus should shift from a debate surrounding the feasibility of a 100% renewable system to how we can enable a speedy and immediate upscaling. Keywords: Energy system transformation, Renewable energy systems, Energy scenarios, Co-benefits, Energy systems analysis
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spelling doaj.art-79dcdc0c4ec248f5b2d7a1888b80aa572022-12-21T19:01:17ZengElsevierEnergy Strategy Reviews2211-467X2019-11-0126Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?Caroline Zimm0José Goldemberg1Nebojsa Nakicenovic2Sebastian Busch3International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria; Corresponding author.São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), R. Pio XI, 1500, Alto da Lapa, São Paulo, SP, 05468-901, BrazilInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, AustriaInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria; Knowledge for the Energy Union Unit, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Petten, the NetherlandsHistorically, long-waves have characterized transformations of the energy systems. There is not much reason to assume that our current energy system is here to stay. One possible future option is that renewables will provide all energy needed. While many scenarios exist showing that this is technically feasible, the related costs, speed of technology diffusion and social and political acceptance of such an energy transition are fiercely debated, both in the scientific field as well as in politics. Yet, there is growing consensus that renewables are becoming established as a key building block in the energy system, irrespective of the exact shares they represent. The focus should shift from a debate surrounding the feasibility of a 100% renewable system to how we can enable a speedy and immediate upscaling. Keywords: Energy system transformation, Renewable energy systems, Energy scenarios, Co-benefits, Energy systems analysishttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X1930094X
spellingShingle Caroline Zimm
José Goldemberg
Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Sebastian Busch
Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
Energy Strategy Reviews
title Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
title_full Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
title_fullStr Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
title_full_unstemmed Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
title_short Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky?
title_sort is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X1930094X
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