Covering our energy needs: 2050 is being prepared today - La Fabrique's Notes

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as planned, France must drastically reduce its use of the most carbon-intensive energies (gas, oil and coal). Our total energy consumption will decrease, but our consumption of decarbonized electricity will increase significantly. In February 2022, in Belfort, France, President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to massively develop renewable energies while modernizing the nuclear fleet. Does this mean the future is all mapped out? No, say the authors of this book. Firstly, because we shouldn't forget that the French government has also set itself the salutary objective of strengthening our industrial base: our electricity needs will therefore be higher than announced. Secondly, even if the nuclear fleet is renewed at a very steady pace, it will necessarily be supplemented by significant renewable capacities, which will also have to be deployed on a massive scale. Finally, this unprecedented configuration, in which nuclear and renewable energies will complement each other, will also require the development of new means of flexibility (demand modulation, import-export, storage) to preserve the constant balance between supply and demand. This book provides a comprehensive, cost-optimized overview of possible energy mixes up to 2050, based on demand trends, supply renewal and the country's climate commitments. In so doing, it reveals the main energy technologies in which it would be advisable to invest as a matter of priority. In addition to enlightening the general public on the essential issue of energy sovereignty, it offers useful food for thought for public decision-makers and businesses alike