Analyzing the transition of electricity generation in the European electricity system until 2030.

The European Union is highly sensitive to the problematic of climate change. This is shown by the implementation of policies to foster the increase on renewable electricity production infrastructure in the region. As such, it is highly relevant to assess the effectiveness of policies packages like Fitfor55 and REPower EU in the transition of the European electricity production system by 2030. Energy systems modeling is a useful tool to assess the impacts of policies on electricity production infrastructure. Modeling such a complex system shows to be challenging and heavily influenced by data and assumptions done during the setup. The creation of a reliable geographical database to model the European electricity production system of 2030 through the collection of data from different sources is used to model the impacts of European policies on the transition of electricity production infrastructure under different assumptions and scenarios. The investment on renewable energy infrastructure, especially solar installations, shows to have an important effect on the decarbonization of the electricity system. Hydrogen infrastructure for electricity production also has positive effects in the transition of the system, especially to reduce the reliance on natural gas infrastructure. Nonetheless, the limited effect of current policies on the increase of the penetration of this type of infrastructure shows that there is still improvement potential in these packages to ensure the achievement of the 2030 objectives.