Jules Nyssen, the president of the Renewable Energies Union (SER) was the eco guest of franceinfo after the presentation of ecological planning by Emmanuel Macron.
The President of the Republic presented, Monday September 25, the ecological planning plan which should enable France to achieve its objectives in terms of reducing greenhouse gases. “The path is attainable”, says Emmanuel Macron. “It’s about halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. You just need to go two and a half times faster.”he said, and “establish a sovereign ecology”which involves increasing the share of renewable energies. The president of the Renewable Energies Union (SER), Jules Nyssen reacts to these announcements.
franceinfo: Would you say that that’s it, there is a real political impulse?
Jules Nyssen : There are realities that no one can escape. It is the need to decarbonize our economy, our planet. Generally speaking, we saw the summer, which we all suffered, what it requires action. So we’ll see. But in any case, this speech shows a certain will. We still need to look at how it translates into action.
We must increase electricity production, in particular because there will be a parallel deployment of electric vehicles. We must double the rate of development of photovoltaics and continue that of wind power, we can read in the ecological planning document. Are we ready?
Yes, we are ready. There is a document that I will present tomorrow at the annual conference of the Renewable Energy Union and which demonstrates what the sectors are ready to do by 2035. It is a responsible document and it demonstrates that it is the ability we have to be there. I think we can be after. What we must keep in mind is that today, in what we consume, there is approximately 60% fossil energy, a little coal, gas and oil. To get rid of this, you will have to consume less. We should consume better. But above all, it will be necessary to electrify a lot. Because the other solution is bioenergy, it is biomass. And all this is not infinite.
It is this awareness that we can welcome. Afterwards, we can discuss the final height of the objectives for which we think we can go a little faster. But we are ready to do it. So there are conditions. We must accept the idea that we must continue to deploy onshore wind turbines. I know it’s not the easiest subject to deal with, but there are lots of examples on the ground which show that if we do it reasonably, we can achieve it.
We should continue the pace of deployment we are dealing with today in terms of power. But it will be done with less tomorrow because the machines are more powerful than before. It takes more to produce the same power, but they are more imposing. But I think that what poses a problem is not so much the size of the wind turbine, it is the principle applied. And all of this goes back to a local discussion. What is important is to explain what service is provided in the service phase and produce electricity.
And what about the development of off-shore wind power?
Offshore wind power is a really good solution, but it will only produce effects from 2030 and especially from 2035. And new nuclear power, if there is any, will still be after this deadline. -there. This is the message we are trying to convey in the short term. It is solar power that is developing throughout Europe at a prodigious speed and it is onshore wind power that must not be abandoned. So I hope that following Emmanuel Macron’s remarks, there will be a reaffirmation of this need to continue reasonablybut to continue resolutely with wind power and double the deployment of solar panels.
Today, is it possible? A facilitation law was passed at the beginning of the year. Is it sufficient ?
We know very well that we cannot meet all of these objectives exclusively by solarizing roofs, car parks and degraded sites. But I wish we could do it, but it’s not possible and what’s more, it costs more. It’s not so much for the producers, it’s for those who use the electricity. So we need to find conditions to find land on which we can also deploy land, particularly agricultural land, but which is no longer of interest for agriculture. It is also a decree under discussion which is trying to determine the conditions for land which is uncultivated or which has been cultivated for more than ten years, for example, it is land on which we could deploy solar panels, so we try to do it in a way that is obviously very respectful of all the constraints, but with this objective in mind. France is still one of the worst performers in Europe in terms of solar energy. The number itself won’t tell you much. But we did 2.7 gigawatts last year, less than the year before. When the Poles are five and the Germans are eight. And when I look at the number of solar panel power panels installed compared to the number of inhabitants, the champions are the Dutch. And we are not even in the top ten at European level.
Building a French sector, a sector made in France. Emmanuel Macron talks about sovereign ecology. Today, do we have the arms, do we have the skills?
We have to work on skills, as in all industrial fields. But we can also deploy and develop factories in France. There are already a few – who are doing parts of the process. And then there are two major gigafactory projects, as they say, which are in the territories. And the two issues are linked. To develop solar energy with great ambition, you must be able to produce it on site. Produce solar panels. 30% of the value chain is still 30% essential. We need to regain sovereignty over the manufacturing of these panels. There was a time, we knew how to do it. It doesn’t seem very complicated to do, but it takes willpower. This desire is the display of an ambition. So the two subjects go together. I want ambition because it gives me wings. It gives visibility to those who carry out industry projects. And when I have projects in French and European industry, I will be able to deploy this ambition and we will get rid of 60% of fossil fuels. I get rid of 60% of energy which completely depends on abroad and the geopolitical situation. This is where we are dealing with a subject of sovereignty.