What changes accompany the transformation of the energy system?

Through the “Green Deal”, the EU has set itself the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve the targets, all applications in the consumption sectors (private households, commerce, industry, and transport) that are currently still based on fossil fuels must be decarbonized. On the way there, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have to be reduced by 55% (compared to 1990) by 2030. Concrete instruments are required to achieve these goals, for which the EU has adopted the “EU FitFor55” catalog of measures. In current projects, we evaluate the contribution of various measures, taking into account their effects on the entire energy system, and derive options for action on the path to a climate-neutral energy system.

Specifically, we look at the following questions:

• What steps are needed on the way to a climate-neutral energy system?
• What changes need to occur in the consumption sectors?
• How should the current reform proposals in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) be evaluated?
• What do the measures in “EU FitFor55” mean in concrete terms?
• What are the effects of implementing measures in the overall system?
• How resilient is the energy system to changes caused by climate change?