energy strategy 2050 - Energy Europe

Track 1. Examples where the transition will commence immediately:
Making buildings more efficient
Extensive improvements in the energy efficiency of existing
buildings should be implemented in connection with
renovation and replacement in order for them to be cost
effective. At the same time, efficiency improvements
contribute immediately to meeting the 2020 targets.
Electrification of heating and process installations
Installations to heat buildings and for industrial processes
have a long operational life; typically 25 years or more.
Therefore it is advisable to start converting to electricity
or heat pumps already now, as oil and gas furnaces and
boilers have to be replaced. This will also contribute to
meeting the 2020 targets.
Expansion of wind power
Wind power seems to be cost effective and robust
against future developments in fuel and CO2 prices,
and it will be able to replace a great deal of the existing
electricity capacity which will have to be replaced over
the next 10-20 years.
Increased use of biomass
Biomass can play a central role in combination with wind
production and possibly also in connection with coal and
CCS. In the short term, conversion to more biomass at
power plants could reduce use of fossil fuels and thereby
contribute to meeting the target of 30% renewable
energy by 2020.
Track 2. Examples where transition has to be prepared and planned:
Planning of the energy infrastructure
Integration of more fluctuating electricity production
and electrification of end use involves a long-term need
to develop the infrastructure. In this context, the gas
infrastructure of the future should also be planned with
a view to enabling biogas and other RE gasses to take
over from natural gas to a certain extent. This means
that planning must commence immediately.
Framework for future district heating production
District heating production will change as consumption
of fossil fuels at electricity and CHP plants is phased out.
As this involves long-term investments, there is a need
to set the framework for future district heating production
now, through amongst other things strategic energy
planning.
Track 3. Examples of areas with a need for further research, development and demonstration:
Research focussing on incorporating wind power
Denmark’s vast wind resources provide future opportunities
to harvest large parts of energy consumption from
the wind. Increased incorporation of wind requires, however,
continued research and technological advances
to reduce the energy costs and optimise the interplay
of wind power with the electricity grid and electricity
consumption, including methods to store the energy for
a period.
Large-scale demonstration
A large number of technologies may require large-scale
testing before subsequent preparation for market and
full-scale implementation. For example, this applies for
offshore wind, fuel cells for CHP production, smart grids,
biorefineries, low-energy building and energy renovation.
Box: 2.4 Examples of the initiatives in the three tracks
Energy Strategy 2050 – from coal, oil and gas to green energy.
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