France/To make France greener, think about renewable heat, calls the sector

It is necessary to attack the heating, "because it is there that is the CO2!" Wood, geothermal, solar thermal, waste recovery ... renewable and recovery heat could be more widely deployed in France, stressed Tuesday the industry players, who advance their proposals.

Today, heat absorbs 46% of the final energy consumption in France. However less than the quarter is renewable (59% comes from fossil energies and 18% from electricity), underlines the sector.

France progressed these last years thanks to the establishment by the State of a "heat fund", which in particular allowed a development of the networks of heat and cold.

But at a rate of +7-8%, "it is not enough to achieve the goal of 38% of renewable energy in heat in 2030" (less than 23% today), and this while the general demand grows, underlines Jean-Louis Bal, of the Syndicate of renewable energies (SER).

However, to hope to reach 90 to 100% in 2050, horizon for the carbon neutrality registered in the law, France should fix an intermediate course of 50% in 2030, advocates the sector.

On the ground, it proposes to generalize a "territorial renewable heat plan" in the communities of more than 20.000 inhabitants, to leave the reflexes "gas" or "electricity" of the developers.

France already has three tools, to be "optimized", according to the professionals: the heat fund (to increase its means), MaPrimeRénov' for the existing building (to be perpetuated beyond each finance law) and the fund of decarbonization of the industry.

"We need to tackle heat because it is still very carbon-intensive, that's where the CO2 is! And that's where the public aid/efficiency ratio is the best," argues Pascal Roger, of the Federation of Energy and Environmental Services (Fedene).

"This is not budgetary inflation, but an investment," he says: "aid from the heat fund has represented two billion euros over the past ten years, yet it generates 1.5 billion euros in savings on imports" of fossil fuels every year. And green, local energy "stabilizes the bills" of the consumer, he adds.

Finally the sector advocates a "social fund" to accompany the most precarious in this transition.

"It is necessary that the renewable heat finds its right place in the debate on energy", calls Nicolas Garnier, of the association of communities Amorce, which warns against a too big focus on the "all electric", in particular at this beginning of presidential campaign.

Source: www.connaissancedesenergies.org