The “green” electricity maquis conceals more or less virtuous offers.
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IStock / City Presse
In order to meet its electricity needs, France has long opted for nuclear power.
More than 72% of production is still obtained through power plants.
But in the era of energy transition, hydro, wind, solar and also bioenergy have gradually appeared in the offers of all suppliers on the market, who all intend to ride the trend. green.
How, then, can we differentiate
greenwashing
from a truly virtuous approach?
A single network
Marketing promises of “green” electricity often confuse consumers, who believe that by subscribing to this type of offer, they will only receive power from a renewable and non-polluting energy source.
It is a mistake.
There is in fact only one and the same general electricity network.
Schematically, all producers supply it with energy from nuclear, coal, gas or renewable sources;
this is called the inflow.
For their part, the suppliers resell this current in a jumble to consumers;
this is the outgoing flow.
In this large cauldron of electricity, all the electrons are therefore mixed, regardless of their source.
Therefore, we cannot speak of a "green" electron, and it is impossible to trace the source of the current which allows you to heat and light you.
The bad game of equivalences
Without being able to identify the source of the flow that arrives at your home, operators offering ecological offers must, on the other hand, commit to supporting clean energies.
The problem is that, according to the law, all they have to do is buy certificates called “guarantee of origin”.
The latter attest that a quantity of electricity of renewable origin equivalent to that of the consumption of their subscriber customers has indeed been injected into the French or European grid.
But in reality, the majority of the clean flow comes from French hydraulic power stations which have long been amortized.
This system therefore does not really encourage an increase in the production of “green” electricity.
Especially since this does not prevent suppliers from investing in coal, fuel, gas or nuclear power plants.
That being said, some operators have a much more committed approach since they essentially support producers of renewable energy and develop their own production in this area.
How to navigate?
Before succumbing to the marketing of "green" electricity, it is necessary to read the small lines to know what are the commitments of the energy supplier.
To help you, the NGO Greepeace has sorted it out.
The association scrutinized the market offers and classified the operators according to their ecological action.
The ranking published end of 2019 puts
tied
Enercoop and Planet Yes, that source 100% renewable energy and develop their own production.
Conversely, among the worst performers, we can cite Total Direct Energie, Sowee (a subsidiary of EDF) and Eni, since renewables represent a small part of their means of production and they invest heavily in exploitation of fossil and polluting energies.
The rest of the ranking can be found on: www.guide-electricite-verte.fr.
You can cross the data in this listing with the energy tariff comparator offered by UFC-Que Choisir, in order to opt for a virtuous and competitive electricity supplier.
And on the price side, “green” offers are not more expensive than others and can even have attractive prices thanks to state subsidies to encourage clean energy.
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