24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock

The policy brief advocates for a transition to 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) in Europe, asserting that variable renewable energy alone cannot maintain grid reliability. It proposes a three-pronged approach: commercialising 'clean firm' technologies (such as next-generation nuclear, CCS, and geothermal), reforming electricity market designs to move beyond short-term marginal cost pricing toward hybrid markets that reward capacity, and updating the GHG Protocol's Scope 2 accounting from annual to hourly tracking to incentivise the procurement of dispatchable carbon-free power.

• Variable renewable energy is insufficient on its own to decarbonise the grid without risking cost and reliability because wind, solar, and battery storage are weather-dependent and cannot always match electricity load. To maintain reliability and reduce costs, McKinsey estimates Europe will need over 100 GW of 'clean firm' (zero- or ultra-low carbon dispatchable) power by 2035.
• Europe needs to bridge the 'valley of death' funding gap for emerging clean firm technologies to ensure their commercialisation. Potential technologies include conventional and next-generation nuclear, carbon capture and storage (CCS) on fossil plants, superhot rock geothermal, fusion energy, and long-duration multi-week storage.
• Current European electricity market designs based on short-term marginal cost pricing fail to provide the capital cost recovery necessary for clean firm investments. The document recommends hybrid markets that provide compensation for always-available clean power and the creation of competitive, technology-neutral long-term capacity remuneration mechanisms.
• The GHG Protocol's Scope 2 accounting is described as 'fundamentally flawed' because it relies on annual energy certificates that ignore the timing and location of consumption. Transitioning to granular, hour-by-hour carbon accounting would better reflect the 'deliverability' of clean energy and incentivise the procurement of resources that actually decarbonise the local grid.

APA

Stoyanova, S., & Spokas, K. (2023). 24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2023/11/24-7-carbon-free-energy-europe-secure-clean-electricity-around-clock/

Chicago

Stoyanova, Sonia, and Kasparas Spokas. 24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock. Clean Air Task Force, 2023. https://www.catf.us/2023/11/24-7-carbon-free-energy-europe-secure-clean-electricity-around-clock/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stoyanova |first1=Sonia |last2=Spokas |first2=Kasparas |title=24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=21 November 2023 |url=https://www.catf.us/2023/11/24-7-carbon-free-energy-europe-secure-clean-electricity-around-clock/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stoyanova2023247, author = {Stoyanova, Sonia and Spokas, Kasparas}, title = {{24/7 carbon-free energy: How Europe can and must secure clean electricity around the clock}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.catf.us/2023/11/24-7-carbon-free-energy-europe-secure-clean-electricity-around-clock/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }