Not a day goes by without the energy transition being mentioned in the media, and rightly so. The recent increase in extreme weather events reminds us of the urgent need to decarbonize our production and consumption patterns, collectively as a society.

“Limits of Growth” (by Dennis Meadows) is one of the first publications to warn about the risks of ever greater growth. Recent IPCC reports echo his first publications and see the consequences announced on the ground.

Between technological progress and impacts on biodiversity, we will draw up the current state of affairs of this energy transition.

What is the energy transition?

The energy transition refers to all the transformations of the system of production, distribution and power consumption carried out on a territory in order to make it more ecological.

Energy transition and ecological transition: what are the differences?

To understand the difference between these concepts, we must first define them.

La ecological transition is a set of measures put in place in order to achieve carbon neutrality and thus preserve nature and biodiversity as a whole. The industrial revolution that began in the 18th century considerably accelerated the use of natural resources inglobal scale.

The collective awareness of global warming has allowed the leaders of the majority of countries to take action against it; this is called ecological transition. This concept covers many aspects (waste management, recycling, food...).

Its part relating to the modes of production and consumption of energy is what is called The energy transition. It is one of the most important axes of the ecological transition. Energy is present everywhere in our lives and is needed every moment.

However, today the vast majority of the energy consumed (oil, gas, electricity, coal...) isfossil origin. The aim of the energy transition is to move from the use of fossil fuels to renewables or low CO emitters₂ in the face of the climate emergency.

Beyond the energy mix, this also involves energy efficiency in order to reduce consumption. Issues relating to energy sobriety are one of the pillars of this transition.

Who is affected by the energy transition?

One of the great challenges facing humanity in this century is The fight against global warming. It is a global challenge that can only be achieved with the coordination and joint work of all nations And of all the citizens.

The energy transition therefore concerns every link in our society, from business to government and, above all, all citizens.

Law on energy transition for green growth

This desire to fight against the climate emergency took the form of a law in France in 2015: the law on energy transition for green growth. We have enshrined the objectives of the energy transition into law, while equipping ourselves with an arsenal of tools to achieve them.

The objectives set out in the law LTECV:

• Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 40% between 1990 and 2030.
• Divide greenhouse gas emissions by four between 1990 and 2050.
• Reduce final energy consumption by 50% in 2050 compared to the 2012 baseline, with an intermediate objective of 20% in 2030.
• Reduce primary energy consumption of fossil fuels by 30% in 2030 compared to the 2012 baseline.

Here we find the objectives set by the European Union in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

To achieve this, the following are the means that must be implemented through this law:

• The renovation of the existing building stock and ecological building standards;
• The development of clean transport;
• The fight against waste and the promotion of the circular economy;
• The development of renewable energies;
• Strengthening nuclear safety and security measures.

The LTECV therefore remains quite theoretical in the texts; however, it provides for what is called the Multiannual energy programming. It is a document that outlines France's energy strategy for the years to come. This document constitutes the waybill energy projects in France.

Why is the energy transition necessary?

Limiting the effects of global warming

The first objective of this transition is to limit global warming. Today, the temperature on the Earth's surface is 1.1 degrees higher than that recorded in the 19th century^E century.

An increase of more than 2 degrees could have catastrophic consequences: destruction of biodiversity, population movements, dryness... It is therefore essential to reduce the greenhouse effect caused by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Fighting against the scarcity of fossil fuels

Beyond global warming, the intensive use of fossil fuels leads to depletion of natural resources of the planet. The rate at which these resources are extracted is much greater than the rate at which they are formed. This is an additional concern present in the reports of IPCC.

What are the three main challenges of the energy transition?

Energy efficiency

The principle of energy efficiency Is a set of approaches that aim to reduce the energy consumption of a system while ensuring the same quality of service. That is, maintaining the same temperature in offices by reducing the heating. This is possible by improving the insulation of a building.

It is a essential pillar of the energy transition, because this will make it possible to reduce our consumption while maintaining a certain lifestyle, and thus preserve the social cohesion of our society.

This principle was enshrined in law with The tertiary decree. Its aim is to reduce energy consumption in tertiary buildings. The objective is to reach 40% in 2030, 50% in 2040 and 60% savings in 2050.

Energy sobriety

Energy sobriety can be defined as being a An approach to moderating the use of energy resources.

A sobriety approach would make it possible to reduce the heating temperature of a building by a few degrees and to adapt to it. It is a Paradigm shift in relation to overconsumption and the design of energy resources.

It is a certain way of reducing somewhat the comfort we have in order to reduce our consumption. Most of the time, these measures do not greatly degrade the comfort of users.

Diversifying the energy mix

When we talk about the energy transition, the question of energy mix is crucial. We must strive to decarbonize our production assets. The combustion of gas and coal for electricity production purposes is about to disappear in favor of renewable energies.

As we mentioned in our article on renewable energies, France is late on this issue, and we will have to catch up with our European neighbors in order to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreements.

Nuclear power plays a major role in France; with more than 70% of installed capacity, this mode of production does not emit CO₂.

Moreover, RTE announces that in 2021 more than 92% of electricity in France does not emit CO₂. The question of dismantling and waste management remains important, but the question of the energy mix concerns France a little less than its European neighbors (Germany, Italy, etc.).

Moreover, the European Union has just specified that Nuclear energy was an energy considered to be “green” within the meaning of European regulations. It is therefore considered necessary for the energy transition in European texts.

The energy transition will therefore involve several channels, from Effectiveness At energy mix. Political will remains an important factor in the speed and reliability of the execution of long-term strategies.

Unfortunately, greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, have no political calendar. This is why the place of nuclear power is so important in this system, in terms of transition energy. There will be compromises to be found in this sense in order to allow an energy transition that is acceptable to as many people as possible.

Did you know that?

Thanks to the mechanism of Energy Saving Certificates (CEE), you can finance your energy efficiency work.
SirEnergies supports you in this process!
Click below for more information:

Solution Energy Saving Certificates (CEE)