Full Title: Power Systems Transformation: Delivering Competitive, Resilient Electricity in High-Renewable Systems
Author(s): Energy Transitions Commission
Publisher(s): Energy Transitions Commission
Publication Date: August 1, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Clean electrification, driven by the decarbonization of power systems and the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels in industry, transport, and buildings, is the foundation of the transition to a global net-zero economy. In many sectors, direct electrification will be the most cost-effective route to decarbonization; in others, hydrogen produced via electrolysis is likely to play a significant role. As a result, total electricity demand will grow dramatically. The ETC’s latest updates to the two net-zero scenarios, Accelerated by Clearly Feasible (ACF) and Possible but Stretching (PBS), initially published in December 2023, suggest that the share of direct electricity usage could increase from 21% of final energy demand today to 62–71% by mid-century [Exhibit 0.1]. Total global electricity demand could potentially reach around 90,000 TWh by 2050, compared to 30,000 TWh today.