Case Study on Electric Power Systems to Realize 2050 Carbon Neutrality

To study necessary actions to realize 2050 Carbon Neutrality, the impact of possible changes in major surrounding conditions on the power source mix is assessed mainly from an economic viewpoint. Prior research shows that a certain scale of power sources that can adjust the output with responsiveness is required to compensate for the variation in renewable energy sources. Thermal power generation can play the role; however, its validity as a future power source for the Carbon Neutrality can be affected by the external environment such as fuel price, available CO2 amount of storage, condition of the non-fossil fuels supply chain. Necessary technological and political actions were proposed according to the case studies using optimizing simulation tools. Adequate systems for value settings for ancillary services, ensuring sufficient supply of non-fossil fuels, and steady promotion of technological development of next generation nuclear reactors are necessary to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050 in Japan.