Energy self-sufficiency in countries with limited renewable potential

Details

Supervisors

Contino, Francesco

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité spécialisée: énergie

Abstract

Achieving net-zero emissions requires radical changes in the energy and industrial system of countries at a global scale. For some countries this goal is particularly challenging due to the limited availability of renewable resources, compared to their demand for energy. Recent literature identified Belgium, South Korea, Japan, and Trinidad and Tobago among the main countries expected to experience a deficit in energy supply from domestic renewable resources. This work builds on top of recent findings, by including a larger number of resources for renewable supply, and by adopting a higher resolution when required by the small size of the countries considered. The results of this analysis indicate that Belgium will not be able to fulfill its demand, while Japan, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago will heavily depend on their offshore wind potential to meet their electricity demand by 2050. In a scenario where wind offshore is not intensely deployed, none of these countries will be self-sufficient and will, consequently, depend on imports to manage their energy deficit. As a summary, this study highlights how offshore wind and importing energy are crucial for these four countries to achieve self-sufficiency.