EU requires 400 GW of energy from renewable sources to reach netzero

The European Union’s plan to hit carbon neutrality by 2050 and support a 1.5°C limit on average global warming will require the continent to install 400 gigawatts of new solar and wind per year between 2025 and 2035.

It has to ramp up hydrogen production, and develop viable carbon capture technology, according to a study by an energy systems specialist at Aarhus University in Denmark.

The study, published last month in the journal Joule, finds that the added investment to hit 1.5°C would be less than the cost of allowing average warming to hit 2°.

The 400-GW annual target aligns well with the Danish Government’s goal of four times more wind and solar energy before 2030, but the goal also applies to all European countries.

The deployment of renewable energy will lead to comprehensive electrification of European societies.