Wärtsilä report: Clean energy future requires renewables covering land size of Europe

GLOBAL – A newly released report by Wärtsilä, a technology and lifecycle solutions provider, highlights the significant land requirements for achieving a clean energy future without balancing power technologies.

According to the ‘Crossroads to Net Zero’ report, renewable power would need to cover an area the size of Europe to meet global energy demands unless balancing technologies are incorporated into the power system.

The report presents two pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming in alignment with the Paris Agreement targets from 2025 to 2050.

The first pathway relies solely on renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, paired with energy storage.

The second pathway, however, integrates balancing power technologies, which can be rapidly deployed to support renewables’ intermittent nature.

The findings show that incorporating balancing power technologies offers substantial cost savings and CO₂ reductions.

This approach reduces the need for additional renewable capacity, enabling a 21% reduction in cumulative power sector CO₂ emissions—equivalent to one billion tonnes—by 2050, compared to a system that relies only on renewables and storage.

Additionally, the use of balancing power technologies can significantly reduce wasted energy. The report estimates that balancing power would prevent 88% of energy curtailments from renewable sources by 2050, avoiding 458,000 TWh of wasted energy—enough to power the world at current electricity consumption levels for over 15 years.

Moreover, this system could halve the renewable energy capacity and land needed to meet decarbonization targets.

Wärtsilä Energy president and executive vice president Anders Lindberg emphasized that while renewable energy is more abundant than ever, it is not sufficient on its own.

“Flexibility is essential to achieving a clean energy future,” he said. To achieve this, there is a need to phase out inflexible assets and transition to sustainable fuels.

The report also provides examples from countries like Morocco and South Africa, both of which have recognized the importance of flexible power generation.

Morocco aims to achieve 52% renewable electricity by 2030, but to do so, it must integrate renewables on a large scale.

Wärtsilä’s modelling recommends a balanced energy system that combines renewables, battery energy storage, and flexible power plants.

Similarly, South Africa’s Eskom has tendered a 3 GW Gas Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, confirming the need for flexible generation to support renewable capacity growth, which is expected to reach 17.7 GW by 2030.

The report outlines three key actions for the global power sector to facilitate a low-cost, low-emission energy transition in line with Paris Agreement goals for 2050.

First, it calls for the rapid expansion of renewable and balancing technologies, including the upgrade of transmission systems and investment in regional interconnectors.

Second, the report stresses redesigning electricity markets to incentivize flexibility, including introducing ancillary services and flexibility-linked capacity payments.

Finally, it advocates for selecting future-proof balancing technologies that can accommodate sustainable fuels, such as natural gas, to bridge the gap while phasing out inflexible technologies.

These measures could reduce yearly CO₂ emissions from the power sector by more than 75% in 2035 compared to 2023 levels, ensuring a sustainable and cost-effective energy future.

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