Analysis of technical strategies towards a low carbon electricity system in Europe

Facing energy crisis and climate changes, transition towards a low carbon electricity system has aroused great concern around the world. As pioneer in CO2 emission reduction, European Union (EU) is planning all-round transformation in electricity system. This paper analyses and concludes European decarbonization strategies from four aspects, with the aim to explore approaches to a low carbon electricity system. At generation level, exploitation of large scale renewable energy sources (RES) is the key to a low carbon energy supply. At transmission level, a pan-European transmission grid is essential for the integration and transportation of RES across Europe. At consumption level, great importance will be attached to demand response (DR) to reduce supply variability. At technology level, promising breakthrough technologies are summarized. Inspired by European plans, the paper ends by providing suggestions for a future low carbon electricity system in China.