Publications

Dans cette section, vous trouverez des publications de notre Fédération ENERGIA ainsi que d'organisations externes dans divers domaines tels que le climat, l'énergie, l'industrie, les carburants du futur, l'importance économique du secteur, etc.

Etudes

Generating energy transition pathways: application to Belgium

9 Août 2021

On the 18th of June, Gauthier Limpens passed his PhD thesis. Through his 5 years of work and a strong collaboration with the EPFL (Lausanne) he co-developed the model EnergyScope and an extension which enables the optimisation of the transition pathways of a country energy system. The models developed will be used and developed through the BEST-energy project.

Main findings: A low emission energy system relies on a mix of solutions
In the case of Belgium, which can be partly transposed to several European countries, the optimal solution is a mix: massive deployment of endogenous renewable energy, implementation of efficient technologies, and if this is not enough, importing electricity and renewable fuels from abroad. Primary energy consumption can be reduced by 40% by using more efficient technologies, such as cogeneration, and coupling the energy sectors, mainly with electric mobility and heat pumps. Then, based on this reduced primary energy demand, 50% of it can be produced locally and based on renewable energies: 60 TWh/y of biomass, 60 TWh/y of solar and 35 TWh/y of wind. Finally, the remaining 50% will be imported renewable fuels and electricity from our neighbours. The hypothetical use of additional renewables, such as geothermal energy or an extension of offshore wind farms, is beneficial to the system and reduces the dependence on foreign countries. These resources first need to be proven.

Find more info here and download the Thesis