Decarbonizing Russia: Leapfrogging from Fossil Fuel to Hydrogen

Following the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) , researchers from the SDSN Russia network have issued a new paper in which the authors build an ambitious scenario for a radical reduction in carbon emissions and the replacement of Russian fossil fuel exports with hydrogen through the increased use of solar and wind power plants. Excess renewable energy capacity, far exceeding the final demand for electricity, allows for the export of green energy due to the conversion of electricity into hydrogen.

In a world where climate policy increasingly requires the radical reduction of emissions wherever possible, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), the co-host institution of SDSN Russia, explores a different approach to the decarbonization of the Russian economy. According to the analysis of RANEPA, the Russian economy can achieve 100% decarbonization using a wide range of possible combinations of wind and solar power generation, coupled with green hydrogen production.