January 25 ADEME and Observ'er have announced a delay in the development of renewable energies in France. According to their green energy barometer, France is lagging behind in the development of renewable energies.

Indeed, in 2020 an energy roadmap was established. The latter's objectives for 2023 are far from being achieved at present. It is therefore in relation to these objectives that they consider that France is currently lagging behind.

However, despite this alarming observation, is the situation really worrisome? We will see that it is not necessarily easy to answer this question.

Indeed, the aim being to fight against climate change, it is important to equip ourselves with renewable means of production. However, their development can sometimes stagnate, but beyond that, it is also important to review development trajectories in light of new developments in the sector.

What is the state of play of renewable energies in France?

Renewable means of production in France

Before being able to discuss a possible delay and then look for the causes, it is important to draw up a balance sheet. In France The energy mix is largely dominated by Nuclear energy.

But what is the real place of renewable energies today? In the 2020 electricity report published by RTE, it is announced that renewable energies represent 23.4% of total production. It should be noted that this year 2020 was exceptional in terms of renewable energy production compared to 2019.

Wind production increased by 17.3%, solar production by 2.3% and finally Hydraulic production increased by 8.4%. This can be explained in particular by the lower availability of nuclear power.

It is interesting to note that today Renewable energies represent more than 40% of France's total installed capacity, for only 23% of electricity production.

Source: RTE

If you are an avid reader of SirEnergies, you are aware that ENR are Intermittent and depend on weather conditions. It is therefore logical to note that installed capacity is not necessarily equal to constant production.

Source: Observ'er barometer

A sector in constant evolution

Beyond the share of ENR in production, it is interesting to observe this same share in French consumption. Indeed, production is not equal to consumption because there are, for example, electricity exports to other European countries.

It turns out that these two values are relatively similar, around 23—24%.

However, the renewable energy sector is in turmoil, following recent regulatory changes. In this respect, we can cite the tariff decree of October 2020, which changes the logic of development of the photovoltaic sector.

This should allow for greater development of installations under 500 MWhc. The decree provides for a guaranteed and regulated feed-in tariff for this type of installation.

Source: Sdes

Is France really late?

A delay in relation to what objectives?

In the world of energy, it's often easy to get lost in numbers. Before talking about being late, we must already establish what the goals are. First of all, in terms of government will, Emmanuel Macron announced in 2017 that he wanted to hold on. The commitment of 32% From ENR in French consumption.

It is clear that in 2022 we are only at 23%. This is a first delay. It's only about electricity here.

The commitments made in 2008 in favor of ecological transition by the European Union had established for France the objective of 23% of renewable energies in its overall gross energy consumption by 2020. It is no longer only about electricity in this case but also about warmth as well as transporting.

In the end we reached 19% against the expected 23%. France is therefore effectively behind schedule on its renewable energy action plan vis-à-vis the EU.

In addition, it should be remembered that the last periods of confinement that punctuated the years 2020 and 2021 artificially raise these averages. So the end result is slightly overrated.

A delay compared to our European neighbors?

Is France lagging behind other European countries? It is clear that we are the only country in the EU that did not meet these ENR objectives.

Source: The Mountain

However, these figures need to be put into perspective. Indeed, some European countries have hydraulic capacities which cover almost 90 per cent of the country's energy needs. The challenge to be met is therefore not the same depending on the country.

Including Nordic countries in this type of ranking does not therefore seem fair in view of the various situations.

On the other hand, it is interesting to compare yourself to countries such as Germany or Spain. The share of renewable energies in electricity production has increased considerably to around 45%.

It remains very difficult to make an economically viable comparison, as political will, natural resources and landforms are very different from one country to another.

In terms of installation, wind energy has been experiencing a decline that has begun since 2017. Photovoltaics, for its part, continued to grow slightly from one year to the next (+2%).

In short, it is difficult to be able to compare countries with each other. Each situation is specific and requires an economic, historical and political analysis at the same time.

However, in view of the latest final report published by RTE on 16 February 2022, the carbon neutrality by 2050 is only possible under the condition of develop ENR.

In all the scenarios under consideration, even with a significant nuclear installed capacity, it is essential to continue to develop our onshore and offshore wind farm as well as our solar capabilities. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can only be achieved through a varied energy mix. Unfortunately in France, the terrain does not allow us to improve our hydraulic capacities. It will therefore be necessary to rely on other sources of energy and certainly to intensify public and private investments in this direction.

To find out more about the recent RTE report on Energy Futures 2050, we have concocted for you a complete guide.