Reducing energy consumption to secure the future: a proposal for 2050
The energy transition cannot be limited to replacing fossil fuels with renewables while maintaining the same consumption model. This is one of the main conclusions of the report “What Energy Will We Need in 2050?”, presented this week by the Network for Energy Sovereignty (XSE), of which Engineering Without Borders is part.
The document analyses the future of energy in Catalonia and proposes an approach that goes beyond technological substitution: a transition based on energy sufficiency, decentralisation and democratic control of energy.
Download the full report:What Energy Will We Need in 2050?
Reducing energy consumption by 45%
One of the report’s central conclusions is that the energy transition will only be viable if energy consumption is significantly reduced.
The proposal developed by the XSE suggests reducing final energy consumption by 45% by 2050 compared to 2019. This approach contrasts with the current roadmap of the Catalan government, outlined in the PROENCAT plan, which focuses mainly on efficiency and technological substitution while maintaining similar levels of energy consumption.
According to the network, this pathway presents important limitations. On the one hand, the availability of materials required to massively deploy renewable technologies is limited. On the other hand, maintaining the same level of consumption would imply a very high territorial impact, particularly in rural areas.
For this reason, the report argues that energy sufficiency —reducing non-essential consumption and prioritising socially necessary uses— is a key condition for advancing towards a fair and sustainable energy system.
A renewable, decentralised and democratic energy model
The proposal from the Network for Energy Sovereignty is structured around three main pillars:
- Sufficiency
Rescaling energy consumption and prioritising essential sectors such as food systems, healthcare and housing. - Territorial sovereignty
Producing energy close to where it is consumed and avoiding the concentration of energy infrastructure in rural areas to supply large urban centres. - Democratic control
Advancing towards an energy model based on public, community and citizen management, where energy is considered a common good rather than a commodity subject to market dynamics.
This approach places climate justice, territorial protection and the right to energy at the centre.
Opening the debate on Catalonia’s energy future
The presentation of the report brought together representatives from 25 social and energy collectives, as well as institutions such as ICAEN, the Barcelona Provincial Council and several regional Energy Transition Offices.
The Network for Energy Sovereignty aims for this report to serve as a starting point to open a broad debate on the future of energy in Catalonia, involving civil society, social movements and territories in defining the energy model.
From Engineering Without Borders, as an active member of the XSE, we will continue working to promote an energy model that places life and planetary limits at the centre.
