Disadvantages, hopes and boons of renewable energy in France

In the bays of the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales in Paris, on November 24, among the hundreds of companies that come to collect public money, in the middle of the stands, trinkets and brochures on glossy paper, two commercial ones. WPD, a German company specializing in wind and solar parks, is happy to discuss. Their topics of conversation: competitors from neighboring stands, the myriad restrictions that make it difficult to install wind turbines, infighting between mayors, endless arguments, prefects’ audacity in the face of legal risks, solar parks that are growing. In the fields and on the roofs…

But what prevails is a sense of historical change: “In ten months, everything has changed more than fifteen years– says the more experienced of the two representatives. With the Ukraine crisis and France’s nuclear energy difficulties, people realized that energy was scarce. Fifteen years ago we were taken to Magar Baba. Yesterday we were told that we were a subsidized economy. It’s done! With bills exploding, corporate procurement managers are calling for help. »

2022 can be mentioned A turning point in the slow development of renewable energy in France. Provided that the sector will be able to protect the explosion of demand and respond to the objections of the French public, which is not entirely certain. The appetite is great among individuals, communities, and businesses. Enedis, the subsidiary of EDF responsible for local electricity distribution, plans to register around 100,000 connections to the electricity grid, mainly for photovoltaic panels purchased by individuals. “We are going to set a record for the number of installations. By the end of the third quarter of 2022, we will have done more than in all of 2021.Herve Lekstrath, Director of Energy Transition at Enedis, observes.

Veterans of the sector compare the rise of solar power to individuals in the early 2010s, when promises of high prices created a huge storm, as well as a gap in public finances. The difference is that the installed power is much higher thanks to the installation of shades on parking lots or on the roofs of companies, agricultural sheds or public buildings, which multiplies the kilowatt hours produced.