Sustainable energy transition options for Russia

Following the Paris Agreement, one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise the consequences of climate change is to pursue the goal of a sustainable energy supply by renewable energy sources. This study explores transition pathways towards sustainable energy system in the regions of Russia. Potential scenarios are presented in the power, heat, transport, and industry sectors. The study leverages an energy-industry system transition model in hourly resolution to investigate various policy scenarios ranging from 100% renewable energy in 2050 to net-zero emissions by 2060 with higher shares of nuclear power, to explore the feasibility and economic implications of the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system. The results show that respective transition pathways are technically feasible and economically viable. The analysis reveals that achieving zero CO 2 emissions by 2050 with very high renewable energy shares composed of wind power (56%), solar photovoltaics (40%), hydropower (3%), and bioenergy (1%) along with the deployment of power-to-X technologies is the lowest cost solution with cumulative CO 2 emissions around 22,000 MtCO 2 until 2060. The study underscores the importance of robust policy support and infrastructure development to facilitate this transition as a basis for economic development driven by low-cost and sustainable energy solutions.