[en] New and renewable energies (hydro-power, wind-power, solar, biomass, biogas, geothermal and fuel cells) are progressively entering the industrialization phase (except for hydro-power which is already largely developed). Thus they are no more considered as solutions for utopian ecologists but have reached the status of alternative technologies. This study takes stock of the following questions: what are the applications of renewable energies, what is their stage of development and their potential with respect to fossil fuels, what are their perspectives of development, and what are the strategies developed by the actors of the sector? The main stakes of the renewable energy sector are: fulfilling the increasing power needs (in particular with the wind and solar power in isolated areas), improving the competitiveness (reduction of the investment costs), developing financial incentives (tax relief, financial helps, eco-taxes..), participating to the reduction of pollutant emissions. The renewable energy sector is progressively structuring and profits by the increasing implication of major energy actors, such as the oil companies. The behaviour and strategy of 14 major actors of the renewable energy sector is also analyzed. (J.S.)

[en] The climate action network worries about the weakness of the French policy in matter of greenhouse gases emissions reduction. These French environmental associations emphasize the following points: the government does not give a clear direction towards the car place reduction, in particular and road transport more generally. The government has not given a clear signal on the option of renewable energy sources. Situations and propositions (in ten points to succeed Tokyo) are detailed and discussed. (N.C.)

[en] The Cogema group hopes to find a second business, being awaiting the nuclear area starts again. It needs eighteen months to find it. It must have an empathy with its first business and does not be in competition with its customers. (N.C.)

[en] According to the Professor Pfaffenberger, the abandoning of nuclear energy, that would cost a lot to the country (Switzerland), would reduce in proportion the investments possibilities in renewable energies. (N.C.)

[en] The Kyoto Protocol of the Climate Convention introduced the possibility to trade greenhouse gas emission reductions among industrialized countries, as a means to reduce the total cost of achieving the agreed emission goals. The rules for this international co-ordination regime are still debated, even if its principle is generally agreed. This article, written before the negotiation in the Hague, summarizes how the notion of emission trading made its way in the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The authors show what economic gains could realistically be expected from emission trading, based on macro-economic modelling results and a simulation of trading in the conditions of the Kyoto Protocol. They stress the critical contribution that emission trading could make, provided that the Protocol's environmental basis is not undermined. In the end, the negotiation collapsed over this issue. Beyond this near-term obstacle, the international emission trading system represents a significant progress towards an efficient resolution of man-made global climate change. (author)

[en] During this last decade, wind turbines have made great strides at a technological level. This development is constantly continuing in such a way as to minimise energy production costs. Today, it would be interesting to know whether production costs from wind farms are sufficiently competitive for these to be included in a real energy development policy for the Corsica region. In this article, the authors have sought to answer this question after having provided an overview of the energy situation on the island. (author)

[en] This book gives a general presentation of energies and fuels and takes stock of the situation of future nuclear reactors, renewable energies, electric power industry and of the future of energy in general, concerning its economical, technical and institutional aspects. (J.S.)

[en] Contrarily to other European nations like United-kingdom, Germany or Norway, France has no important fossil energy resources. The 2 major oil crisis (in 1973 and 1979) made public opinion abruptly aware of the urgent necessity for the diversification of energy supplying. Today the French production of electricity rests on nuclear energy, fossil energy and renewable energies (hydroelectricity). France is the first European country for nuclear energy (88 millions tons of oil equivalent in 1999) and for renewable energy (29 millions toe). The energy independence rate has sharply increased in 20 years from 26% in 1973 it reaches now 49%. France has developed an important capacity of fossil fuels storage about 10.5 milliards m³, it means that France can face a 30% decrease in its energy imports for a year without reducing its industrial output. Because of their energy choices Switzerland and France are the European countries the least sensible to price fluctuations of oil and gas. The doubling of oil price has implied a 0.32 francs rise of kWh cost in France and a 1.8 francs rise elsewhere in Europe. (A.C.)

[en] Given the relative weight of future greenhouse gases emissions of the Developing Countries (DCs) in the next decades, offering them the opportunity to participate to climate policies is a condition for achieving the goal of the Climate Convention. Thus, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) defined in art. 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, aims at reducing the cost of Annex 1 countries commitment in term of reduction of emissions, but also at limiting the risk that the DCs' unquestionable right to develop will offset the Annex 1 countries efforts: in order to be a win-win mechanism, the CDM should help to progress faster on a less polluting development path. Beyond political principles, there is the necessity to incorporate the decision making process of future CDM real actors. Regarding host country authorities, what is at stake is to bring in missing investment capacity to satisfy internal needs of goods and services, taking advantage of the additional inventive created by CDM certificates. For private investors, the objective is to maximize the global sum of commercial revenues plus CDM carbon income. The present paper examines potential CDM projects opportunities in the electric sector Quantified pre-simulations for the Tahumanu project, which consists in building a 3 x 2 200 kVA hydropower plant instead of subsidized diesel plants in the Bolivian Pando Province, and which is co financed by E7 as a CDM learning opportunity for seven large Annex 1 countries electricity companies, offer a realistic illustration possible CDM projects set up and arrangements with the host country. (authors)

[en] This article reports some of the answers that have been given by EDF to the European Commission concerning the elaboration of a European common strategy to achieve security in the energy supplying. According to EDF, nuclear energy has good assets for the future: -) European Union has no uranium resources but worldwide uranium resources are far more geographically diversified than fossil resources; -) costs are competitive and very little dependent on the cost of raw material; -) no emission of greenhouse effect gas and no emission of gas involved in air contamination or in acid rains. According to EDF the European Union has a role to play to promote nuclear energy by: -) promoting the long-term storage of radioactive wastes that has been chosen by Finland and Sweden; -) imposing to east countries' nuclear power plants safety standards as high as those required in western countries; and -) supporting the research and development of the next generation of nuclear reactors. (A.C.)