Electricity in Europe: exiting fossil fuels?

Abstract

There are many options for generating electricity with low carbon emissions, and the electrification of heat and transport can decarbonise energy use across the economy. This places the power sector at the forefront of any move away from fossil fuels, even though fossil-fuelled generators are more dependable and flexible than nuclear reactors or intermittent renewables, and vital for the second-by-second balancing of supply and demand. Renewables tend to supplement, rather than replace, fossil capacity, althou…