Development of renewable energies in France: ambitious announcements, faulty implementation, an industrial sector nipped in the bud?

Within the framework of the 'Grenelle 2' energy-climate package, France is committed that 23 pc of the energy consumed come from renewable sources in 2020, compared to 9 pc today (in 2010) through a reduction form 180 million tonnes of oil equivalent (M toe) in 2008 to 155 M toe in 2020 and the doubling of its production of renewable energies over the period, from 16 to 36 M toe. To implement these objectives, the government has chosen to act on the demand side, using various mechanisms such as financial incentives, modification of the town planning code, simplification of administrative procedures, promotional campaigns at the local level, etc. However, according to the Terra Nova NGO, this approach raised two problems, the first one being to prioritize demand over supply (handicapping the development of a national 'green' industrial sector), while France had an old technological advance (the Themis solar power plant was built in the Pyrenees during the 1970's) and real industrial and natural assets, leading to the fact that France is no longer one of the leaders in renewable energy industries; the second problem is the choice of the demand side which makes the evolutions dependent on the quality of the (difficult and fragile) financial aid dosage, since the renewable energy sector technologies are rapidly evolving. This paper recommends a much more proactive policy, promoting innovation and favoring the constitution of a European and national industrial sector, aware of the rapid changes in the sector and capable of adapting to a changing demand