F1IE 4020 - Carbon Neutrality by Mid-Century: How to Get There?

This holistic and interdisciplinary course with a global approach addresses deep decarbonization strategies of energy systems and the role of renewable energy sources from a technological, economic and policy perspective. Decarbonization needs multi-solution and multi-disciplinary approaches.

The course aims to provide a good understanding of the state of the art and the expected development of different technological solutions including Renewable Energy Sources and their implementation potential to contribute to decarbonization scenarios as well as of the challenges and opportunities of different Renewable Energy Sources for their integration in energy systems. But it will equally address other decarbonization strategies including governance issues. To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, renewables are indeed only part of the solution, other solutions include energy demand reduction as well as huge decarbonization efforts in all sectors and different types of CO2 sinks. In order to reach net-zero by 2050, not only the power sector needs to be decarbonized, but all sectors including the so called hard to abate sectors. In addition to RES and nuclear, we will thus also discuss the role of decarbonized energy molecules (hydrogen based fuels and bioenergy) as well as CCUS.

Most importantly, a holistic approach is needed, which includes the availability of technological solutions which need to be cost efficient, innovative economic approaches (e.g. carbon pricing, mandates, etc), appropriate institutional and political frameworks (governance), and - last but not least – a proper public awareness and ownership of decarbonization policies by consumer in order to modify the behaviour of citizens towards more sustainable pathways.

Expectations for renewable energy sources and other decarbonization instruments are very high, but are the scenarios realistic? This course will review the promises and pitfalls of individual instruments and their integration in energy systems, in view of allowing a full critical understanding of the conditions under which these may come to play a truly important role in global energy system.

The Course “Carbon Neutrality by 2050: how to get there?” will thus address, among others, most (but not necessarily all) of the following topics :

• Climate Change issues and decarbonisation scenarios: what does a net-zero decarbonization by mid-century mean/imply for the different world regions and for the different sectors? Challenges and opportunities.
• The role of energy efficiency and energy sufficiency in decarbonization;
• Role of mitigation solutions in all sectors (power, industry, transport, buildings), including the hard to abate sectors (e.g. aviation, long haul maritime shipping, steel, cement, chemicals, etc) and of different carbon sinks like afforestation, CCUS including BECCS and DACCS. Role of nuclear, of hydrogen, etc.
• Renewable energy sources: understanding how they work, their pros and cons: - Solar: Photovoltaic (PV), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), solar heat, etc. ; - Wind turbines ; - Hydroelectricity: river-run, storage, pumping-storage plants, tidal and wave, etc. ; - Biomass and bio-fuels ;
• Challenges and opportunities of renewable energy sources : - RES integration into electricity grids ; - Different implementation policies: pros and cons ;
• Financing the energy transition
• The role of critical minerals in clean energy transitions
• Green deals and industrial policies
• Decarbonization for (different kind of) industrialized and (different kind of) developing countries
• Global and domestic governance of energy decarbonization
• The role of civil society and citizens

Depending on the interest of the class, some topics will be addressed in more depth than others : some topics will be addressed by the professor, some topics will be addressed directly by the students in a group-work format producing papers which will be shared and discussed with the class, some will be addressed within the assigned readings.

The course aims to address with a very interactive, interdisciplinary and holistic, but at the same time critical, approach the different components needed to successfully embarque on a global deep decarbonization pathway aiming to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century and to avoid pitfalls.

At the end of the course, the students who have properly engaged in the course, will have :

• a better understanding on how to address the complexities of the decarbonization subject (without necessarily having gained all the answers – nobody has, but at least understand the pros and cons of different approaches),
• gained the ability to critically engage in discussions on the subject of decarbonization,
• been prepared to start a professional career in this field (of course, additional courses offered at PSIA on energy and decarbonization will allow to further deepen this knowledge).

The course evaluation will consist of a mixture of different assignments:

• Background group paper (in total 10 pages) on a controversial subject 20%
• Individual Policy Brief (1 page) on a controversial subject for a Minister or CEO: 20%
• Individual peer review exercise of background papers and individual policy briefs : 20%
• Intelligent class participation and intelligent participation on Moodle and final class discussions : 20%
• In class written final exam 20%

Workload is high, but if students properly engage with the class assignments, rewards in the sense of acquiring an in-depth, interdisciplinary and holistic as well as critical understanding of decarbonization policies/economics/technologies will largely compensate the effort put into the course.

Students are expected:

• to regularly do the assigned readings,
• to actively participate in class discussions,
• to work in small groups to carry out the assigned group work,
• to individually work on a policy brief,
• to do the peer reviews,
• to present their work to - and discuss it with - the class.

After every lecture, the Professor will send out an email assigning specific readings to deepen the topic of the lecture and to assign readings to prepare for the next class. The readings are complementary to the lectures.