Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
09.03.2026 07:58
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Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
Increased recycling and use of alternative materials can reduce the need for primary production of basic materials and keep the need for costly hydrogen in check. Moreover, international trade allows producing ‘green basic materials’ in locations with high potentials for low-cost renewable energy.
Green hydrogen is expensive but it nevertheless allows decarbonizing industries that cannot easily be electrified, such as steel. It is conceivable that technological learning brings costs of ‘green steel’ down to a level where it can compete with conventional steel if carbon costs are factored in.
About 90% of the demand for process heat in the EU could be decarbonized by 2035 by means of electrification, reducing emissions from EU industry by nearly 80% (www.agora-industry.org/publications..., see figure)
Most industrial processes require heat. This heat can be produced with heat pump. Heat pumps have a higher thermal efficiency than heat produced by combusting fossil energy carriers and they can be run with reneable power (www.iea.org/reports/the-...).
Reasons for climate optimism – part 25
A number of promising technologies to achieve emission reductions in carbon-intensive industries, often based on electrification, are reaching maturity and may soon see widespread deployment.
Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
The decarbonization of the residential sector is further accelerated by increased recycling of basic materials, such as steel, use of alternative materials, such as wood, and higher energy efficiency through insulation (www.iea.org/reports/ener...)
The economics of heat pumps are expected to become even more favorable with mass production, technological advances and growing experience with regard to installation and maintenance (doi.org/10.1016/j.jo...).
Depending on natural gas prices, heat pumps can already now yield long-term cost-savings. Even though they require a significant up-front investment, they entail lower total costs over time.
More than 40% of homes in these three countries are equipped with heat pumps (www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-18..., see figure)
Finland, Norway and Sweden had the highest number of newly installed heat pumps per person, demonstrating that this technology is even well-suited for cold climates, despite frequent claims to the contrary.
Currently, about 10% of space heating needs are already supplied with heat pumps. Support programs announced by governments suggest that about 20% of global heating demand will be met with heat pumps by 2030 (www.iea.org/reports/the-...).
Reasons for climate optimism – part 24
Heat pumps and more energy efficient construction, which can decarbonize heating and cooling in buildings, are increasingly being taken up.
Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
Advances in battery technology offer a promising avenue to also decarbonize short-haul aviation and shipping (doi.org/10.1038/s415...)
Manufacturing EVs needs more energy than conventional vehicles but the associated emissions are paid back after roughly two years. With the current carbon intensity of electricity in the EU, an EV emits 65% less than a conventional vehicle over its lifetime, with fully decarbonized power it's 75%.
At the same time, sales of cars with internal combustion engines are steadily declining and are now about 20% below their peak in 2017 (rmi.org/insight/the-...).
In 2024, about 18 million EVs were sold globally (up from 200,000 in 2013) and their market share amounted to as much as 25% (www.iea.org/reports/glob..., see figure). In China, about half of all new cars sold are electric.
Reasons for climate optimism – part 23
Electric vehicles are quickly turning into a mature technology whose share in new registrations is growing rapidly, in many cases overachieving national expansion targets.
Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
There are further options beyond batteries, such as flywheels and chemical storage. These offer additional attractive options for specific use cases (www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/09/1...).
New battery designs and increased recycling of critical raw materials contained in batteries can help overcome concerns related to resource scarcity and import dependence (doi.org/10.1088/1361...).
In 2025, about 80 GW of battery storage were added to electricity grids, roughly doubling existing capactiy. Battery storage could soon overtake pumped hydro.
Since 2010, the costs of storing electricity have declined by more than 90% (www.iea.org/reports/batt..., see figure)
Reasons for climate optimism – part 22
Energy storage, which greatly facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources into energy systems, has become more reliable and cheaper, especially with regard to batteries.
Fossile Technologien wie Kohlekraft aus dem Markt drängen: Buch von PIK-Direktor Ottmar #Edenhofer, @ckilimann.bsky.social & @cleisinger.bsky.social erläutert #CO2Bepreisung, räumt auf mit 5 populären Irrtümern. Wissenschaft einfach erklärt. Kostenloser Download.
www.pik-potsdam.de/de/aktuelles...
Read more in my (open access) book on climate optimism: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
Concerns about critical raw materials and land use for siting renewable capacities need to be taken seriously but are unlikely to be a constraint to widespread deployment. A clean energy system would in fact imply far less mining than one based on fossil energy (ourworldindata.org/land-use-per...)
The energy used to produce RE technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, is recovered after 1 to 3 years. With a lifetime of around 25 years, RE technologies generate more than ten times the energy used to manufacture them (https://doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_469-3).