Renewable energies: why the delay of France is problematic

While the environmental emergency requires changing energy model, France intends to place itself as a world leader on the subject.This is evidenced by the opening speech of COP26, on November 1, of Emmanuel Macron, who urged other countries to find "ambition" in "their national strategies" respective.And called for "exemplarity", a necessary condition to claim any "leadership".

Because the Head of State does not fail to recall, France has acquired a solid plan: the national low carbon strategy (SNBC) of 2015.Updated last year, it defines a strong trajectory of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions until 2050, and sets deadlines in short.In addition, there are the Energy Climate and Multi -year Energy Programming Lois (PPE), voted in 2019, which specify the objectives of the country, in order to wean it from its dependence on fossil fuels.Finally, by recovery and investment plans (France 2030), the government has assigned unprecedented financing levels to "sustainable" mobility, the renovation of buildings, the decarbonation of the industry, at thehydrogen, or nuclear power.

So many "efforts" welcomed by the International Energy Agency (AIE) in its evaluation of France's energy policy, published this Tuesday, November 30.But which will not be enough: the country may want to be a pioneer, it is still not in the nails to reach carbon neutrality in 2050, alerts the organization, which calls for "accelerating" investment in renewable energies.

Use electrification

And for good reason, in 2020, the share of the latter in the gross energy consumption of energy was only 19.1%, that is to say below the target of 23.4% fixed by the PPE.And reaching the mid-term objective set in 2023 now seems impossible: within two years, France should actually add 6.4 gigawatts (GW) of wind power, or almost 40% of the total cumulative capacitynowadays.It should also almost double the solar photovoltaic capacity (from 12.6 GW to 20.6), requiring several thousand hectares.

Read also 4 minla electricity request increases...and renewable energies do not follow

Result: even if its energy mix remains the least carbonated in the G7, thanks to its historic nuclear fleet (which emits very little greenhouse gas), "France has considerable work in front of it on the road to the zero zero",estimates the executive director of the IAI, Fatih Birol.Because while power plants are aging, the construction of new nuclear would take a long time, and the consumption of electricity promises to explode, the atom will not be enough in the short and medium-term, he explains.An observation shared by all the authors of the national prospective scenarios published in recent weeks, from the Negawatt association to the RTE network manager, via ADEME.

And if Emmanuel Macron recently announced his intention to relaunch the atom, it is not for the current government either to return to the PPE, by retreating to renewable energies."It is not because we have nuclear power that we came out of business," clarified the Minister of Ecological Transition Tuesday evening, Barbara Pompili, during a debate on the subject at the hotelroquelaure.

Administrative heaviness

So why does France accuse such a delay?In the past decade, wind and photovoltaic solar production has however increased, bringing the share of renewable energies in the production of electricity (not to be confused with gross energy consumption in general) by 14% in2010 at 23.4% in 2020, recalls the AIE.But "very long authorization procedures, which lead to heavy administrative authorizations", and the "lack of land availability" slowed down the rate, points the report.

Ginger Knows How to Eat from a spoon now

— ˚◦○˚raine˚◦○˚ Mon Jul 19 06:27:54 +0000 2021

The AIE regrets, for example, the presence of obstacles to the installation of photovoltaic panels.Especially administrative, "linked to the building code" or that of "town planning".

Above all, for terrestrial wind turbines, "French authorization procedures are very restrictive compared to other countries", notes the AIE.For good reason, pale giants are often qualified as potential threat to heritage, landscape and the environment.Emmanuel Macron himself had indicated this summer to want to "give up" wind projects when they "distort the landscape".And now, mayors have a right of vet against the establishment of new infrastructure on their territory.Several presidential candidates, including Xavier Bertrand (LR), even plead to institute a national moratorium in the construction of new parks.

Still no offshore wind farm

Until now, these acceptability problems have so much slowed down the construction projects for wind farms at sea, that France still has none - even if the first should get out of the water next year, off the coast ofSaint Nazaire.However, Europe already has 1,16 offshore wind farms, including 40% of the United Kingdom capacity.But in France, a multiplication of disputes and very long authorization procedures delayed the process, notes the AIE.

To remedy this, France Energy Wind turbine and will be presented, this Thursday, December 2, to spatially plan the deployment of new projects in 2022.

A model already developed by several European countries, notably Denmark and the Netherlands.Concretely, these governments identify the appropriate offshore wind zones, select the sites, organize permits as well as the allocation of the financial envelope by calls for tenders.And authorization procedures and tenders are attributed independently of the contentious procedures.

But that will not be enough: in France are added heavy "space constraints" to the development of wind turbines, estimates the IAI, "including for defense and civil aviation purposes, such as radar perimeters", in particularFor those who are on earth.Indeed, the radar distance required of 30 kilometers was extended to 70 km in 2021, which limits the reception area of future projects.

Several anti-renewable candidates

Quickly lift these brakes should allow the movement to accelerate, affirms the AIE.But the question of political will will be central, and the achievement of the objectives of the PPE will especially depend on the next President of the Republic.For the time being, far from offering a softening, some of the candidates for the Elysée are carrying out a war against the massive deployment of renewable energies, in particular land wind turbines, by lifting their negative impacts and the intermittent of their production.And prefer to enhance nuclear production, source of low carbon electrons and vector of industrialization of the territory.

Read also 10 carbon mnneutrality in 2050: what the four scenarios modeled by Ademe implies

Nevertheless, today, energy uses outside the electricity remain largely "dominated by fossil fuels", such as oil and gas, especially in the sector of transport.Under these conditions, and while the next EPR after that of Flamanville should not see the light of day before fifteen years, do without fossil fuels while decarbonating the economy seems illusory.

9 minutes

To share :