Transition towards Low-Carbon Energy System for the Basque Country, Study of Scenarios for 2050 Master

Abstract: TECNALIA Research & Innovation is the first privately funded applied research centre in Spain and one of the leading such centres in Europe. A renowned technological agent in the development of innovative and sustainable solutions for the energy and environmental challenges of industry and society, TECNALIA addresses the complex challenges of energy supply chain and energy systems. Contributing to these efforts, the project builds a model of the energy system in Basque Country, which is characterized by (1) high representation of industry; the most energy intensive sector (about 45% in the energy demand ) (2) the high consumption of fossil fuels (about 83% of Basque energy use in 2010). These challenges (and others) along with the compliance with EU targets to reduce GHGs emissions, to promote renewables and implement measures for energy savings and efficient use of energy, are key drivers to simulate different policy-based scenarios to study and analyze the impact of these measures over different time frames. The aim of this thesis is prepare energy scenarios for the Basque Country for 2050, taking into account different low-carbon pathways and integrating a life-cycle perspective which includes not only the impact during the use and operation phase of energy systems, but also the impacts during the other life cycle phases (manufacturing, installation, end of life).