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Solar energy futures in a Western European context

Abstract

The study considers three limiting scenarios that specify possible but not necessarily likely transitions to sustainable energy futures for Western Europe. Two scenarios consider exclusively solar futures--one based on centralized solar technologies (Hard scenario) and the other on decentralized, user-oriented technologies (Soft scenario). The third scenario, based on nuclear technologies, incorporates an intermediate degree of centralization in the energy system and serves as a comparison to the two exclusively solar scenarios. All three scenarios lead to sustainable energy futures before the year 2100, which is the time horizon of the study. While all three scenarios eliminate Western Europe's dependence on domestic and foreign fossil energy sources, the Hard Solar scenario requires substantial imports of solar produced hydrogen. The scenarios are based on dynamic balances of energy demand and supply using detailed models to achieve consistency. The overall implications of each scenario are that fundamental but different changes of the whole energy system, economic structure and life-styles are necessary in order to achieve sustainable energy futures in Western Europe.
Publication Date:
Feb 01, 1983
Product Type:
Technical Report
Report Number:
BMFT-FB-T-83-002
Reference Number:
ERA-08-033825; EDB-83-102501
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY; SOLAR ENERGY; FORECASTING; WESTERN EUROPE; ENERGY ANALYSIS; ENERGY DEMAND; ENERGY MANAGEMENT; ENERGY MODELS; ENERGY POLICY; ENERGY SOURCES; HYDROGEN-BASED ECONOMY; DEMAND; ENERGY; EUROPE; GOVERNMENT POLICIES; MANAGEMENT; RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES; 292000* - Energy Planning & Policy- Supply, Demand & Forecasting
OSTI ID:
8134247
Research Organizations:
Bundesministerium fuer Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany, F.R.)
Country of Origin:
Germany
Language:
German
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ON: DE83750860
Availability:
NTIS (US Sales Only), PC A03/MF A01.
Submitting Site:
HEDB
Size:
Pages: 26
Announcement Date:
Apr 01, 1983

Citation Formats

Nakicenovic, N, and Messner, S. Solar energy futures in a Western European context. Germany: N. p., 1983. Web.
Nakicenovic, N, & Messner, S. Solar energy futures in a Western European context. Germany.
Nakicenovic, N, and Messner, S. 1983. "Solar energy futures in a Western European context." Germany.
@misc{etde_8134247,
title = {Solar energy futures in a Western European context}
author = {Nakicenovic, N, and Messner, S}
abstractNote = {The study considers three limiting scenarios that specify possible but not necessarily likely transitions to sustainable energy futures for Western Europe. Two scenarios consider exclusively solar futures--one based on centralized solar technologies (Hard scenario) and the other on decentralized, user-oriented technologies (Soft scenario). The third scenario, based on nuclear technologies, incorporates an intermediate degree of centralization in the energy system and serves as a comparison to the two exclusively solar scenarios. All three scenarios lead to sustainable energy futures before the year 2100, which is the time horizon of the study. While all three scenarios eliminate Western Europe's dependence on domestic and foreign fossil energy sources, the Hard Solar scenario requires substantial imports of solar produced hydrogen. The scenarios are based on dynamic balances of energy demand and supply using detailed models to achieve consistency. The overall implications of each scenario are that fundamental but different changes of the whole energy system, economic structure and life-styles are necessary in order to achieve sustainable energy futures in Western Europe.}
place = {Germany}
year = {1983}
month = {Feb}
}