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IRENA's renewable energy roadmap (REmap) programme enables the assessment of the renewable energy potential at sector and country level for the year 2030 based on a unique methodology that has been applied to 70 countries. This paper presents findings of REmap for the European power sector where the REmap methodology is complemented with a power system dispatch model, called the REpower Europe model. Results show that in 2030 under REmap, gross electricity demand in the EU-28 can be met with a renewable energy share of 50% and a variable renewable energy (VRE) share of 29%. This would achieve a 43% reduction in the EU power sector's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions relative to 2005 levels. Although achieving higher renewable electricity shares by 2030 is effective in reducing emissions, significant operational challenges would be encountered to realise the potential identified in REmap. Attention needs to be paid to interconnector congestion, curtailment of VRE and operation of dispatchable generators by power system planners to achieve this potential. While the strength of the REmap approach is transparency that allows engagement with energy planning stakeholders, the key to its effective application is the right balance of model complexity and operational ease. This paper shows the insights that can be gained by leveraging the approach and that valuable policy insights are drawn by using a suite of modelling approaches.

Europe's Biofuel FlightPath Initiative was introduced in 2011 with the aim of producing two million tons of biojet fuel derived from renewable sources for the aviation industry by 2020. This volume, equating to approximately 4% of current EU jet fuel consumption has not yet materialized and Europe's biojet fuel industry is in a nascent state. To date surface transport in the EU has benefited from the push effect of renewable transport targets and this has led to the development of a biodiesel and bioethanol industry in the EU to meet the demand created. Biojet fuel has not benefited from this uplift with only one Member State (Netherlands) acknowledging the option of biojet fuel as a means of contribution to the renewable transport target. Higher costs, investor uncertainty and poor policy awareness at Member State level have contributed to the nascent state of biojet fuel in Europe. A clear and stable policy landscape for biojet fuel can help mitigate some of these issues. However, other non-policy measures are also required to overcome these challenges. This review surveys the challenges and opportunities for a nascent biojet fuel sector in Europe and presents options to stimulate the sector.

The integration of variable generation challenges electricity systems globally. Using Ireland's electricity sector as a case study, we highlight multiple challenges in reconciling ambition for variable renewable integration with market economics and system operation. Ireland has the highest share of non-synchronous variable renewable electricity on a single synchronous power system. This case study examines the strategy being implemented to optimally balance between efficiency, flexibility and adequacy while maintaining a fully functional system that strives to adapt to evolving conditions. The transition that the Single Electricity Market underwent to comply with the EU Target Market was a major overhaul of what made the all-island market a success. Volume-based reliability options have distinct advantages over capacity payments. System services are critical for system stability and 14 separate system services are being developed. These actions, when taken together, provide an insight into the lengths to which this electricity market must go to transform from its cost-based nature to a value-based alternative that rewards flexible and reliable capacity with the ability to evolve with market conditions of the future.