Energy trilemma
Will the lights stay on if we close the nuclear power plants? What are the ecological and financial consequences of renouncing nuclear power? Are subsidies necessary to attract investment to replacement capacity? Does a significant increase in electricity imports offer the simplest solution? Or should we just manage the demand side more intelligently? And what opportunities are offered by electric vehicles?
There is no single, unique energy future. We do want an energy system that is reliable, sustainable and affordable at the same time. Can we reconcile the three goals of the energy trilemma? In this book, we explore the Belgian electricity landscape of 2030 from the trilemma perspective. We answer the above questions and indicate the most important considerations or trade-offs according to the energy trilemma. Our analysis shows how an ambitious policy can make use of technological evolution to achieve the energy trilemma.
Sam Hamels holds a master's degree in general economics from the University of Ghent, and a master's degree in EU studies from the same university. For his work about the future electricity market model, he received the prize for the best master thesis in the widening economic direction in 2014. As a student, he was also actively involved in the UN climate summits in Doha and Warsaw. He has been working as a PhD student in economics since 2015, and is conducting research into the future of the energy landscape. Specifically, he worked on an extensive study on the Belgian electricity landscape in 2030. He is currently also specializing in the energy consumption of individual buildings.
