Carbon Neutrality Strategies in Energy Systems

Achieving carbon neutrality in energy systems involves balancing greenhouse gas emissions with removal or sequestration measures to reach net-zero. Strategies combine rapid deployment of low-carbon technologies, system electrification, enhanced energy efficiency and integration of renewable sources alongside negative emissions. Comprehensive modelling frameworks guide policy and investment by evaluating technological pathways, economic costs and regional equity. Key approaches include shifting power generation from fossil fuels to wind, solar and hydropower; electrifying transport, heating and industry; and incorporating storage, demand response and grid flexibility to manage variability. Negative emissions technologies, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, complement reductions where direct abatement proves challenging. Coordinated policies—ranging from carbon pricing to fiscal incentives—and cross-sectoral measures underpin practical realisation at national and subnational levels.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have developed optimisation frameworks to tailor decarbonisation pathways by region, balancing national climate targets with local economic and equity considerations. One analysis demonstrates how region-specific carbon mitigation strategies can reduce cumulative GDP losses and deliver economic gains in over 90% of subnational areas by aligning peak emissions and carbon intensity trajectories. Another investigation employs probabilistic, bottom-up energy-environment-economy modelling coupled with Monte Carlo analysis to explore thousands of scenarios. It highlights that earlier emission peaking diminishes reliance on negative emissions and lowers welfare costs, while outlining required shares of electrification, renewable integration and storage capacity to secure carbon neutrality by mid-century.

Carbon Neutrality Strategies in Energy Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in carbon neutrality strategies in energy systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Carbon neutrality: A state in which anthropogenic CO₂ emissions are balanced by removals over a specified period, resulting in net-zero emissions.

Electrification rate: The proportion of final energy consumption supplied by electricity rather than direct fossil‐fuel use, expressed as a percentage.

Decarbonisation pathway: A sequence of planned technological, behavioural and policy interventions that progressively reduce carbon emissions in an energy system.

Negative emissions: Processes or technologies that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage or direct air capture.

Solar photovoltaic (PV): Technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials.

Concentrating solar power (CSP): Technology that focuses solar radiation via mirrors or lenses to produce heat, which drives a turbine to generate electricity.

Energy storage: Systems or materials that store energy for later use, enhancing flexibility by balancing supply and demand and managing variable renewable output.

References

1. Approaching national climate targets in China considering the challenge of regional inequality. Nature Communications (2023).
2. The pathway towards decarbonisation and net-zero emissions by 2050: The role of solar energy technology. Green Technologies and Sustainability (2024).
3. Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters (2020).
4. Strategies to achieve a carbon neutral society: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters (2022).
5. Assessing the energy transition in China towards carbon neutrality with a probabilistic framework. Nature Communications (2022).