IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v322y2025ics0360544225013246.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Socio-economic implications of implementing a carbon-neutral energy system: A Green New Deal for Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Pastore, Lorenzo Mario
  • de Santoli, Livio

Abstract

Climate change mitigation necessitates the decarbonisation of energy systems, societies and economies. This work investigates the socioeconomic impact of the Italian energy transition, applying a bottom-up energy model for simulating a 100 % renewable energy system and demonstrating its technical and economic feasibility. Investment of 1.2 trillion euros is needed, around 50 billion euros annually, focusing on renewable and sector coupling technologies, hydrogen value-chain, energy infrastructure modernisation, and energy-saving measures. A 100 % renewable energy system would have slightly higher annual costs compared to a fossil fuel-based system under stable prices, but significantly lower costs compared to the recent energy crisis. Same considerations can be made for the overall system cost of electricity production and storage, which is 52 €/MWh by 2050. Decarbonisation costs can be null for gas prices above 30 €/MWh. The employment impact is 1.4 million new jobs, and for each job lost, about three green jobs can be created. Energy transition cannot be considered merely a strategy for modifying the energy system configuration but can represent a plan for a radical transformation of the economy and society. Energy, economic and environmental planning is crucial to steer investments, develop economic sectors, increase employment and promotes a just energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Pastore, Lorenzo Mario & de Santoli, Livio, 2025. "Socio-economic implications of implementing a carbon-neutral energy system: A Green New Deal for Italy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:322:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225013246
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135682
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225013246
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135682?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:322:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225013246. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.