Could France technically derive most of its electricity from renewable energies by 2050?

Yes, answer the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the operator of the RTE network, but subject to multiple technical and industrial conditions.

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M.ASTAR / SIPA

Could France technically derive most of its electricity from renewable energies by 2050?

Yes, answer the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the operator of the RTE network, but subject to multiple technical and industrial conditions.

The subject is complex as it raises so many questions, especially on developments still to be tested on a large scale.

And it is particularly sensitive in France, where the future of nuclear power - today the source of 70% of electricity production - remains to be decided.

Four “requirements” if we decide not to renew the nuclear fleet

Commissioned at the end of 2019 by the government, this report by the IEA and RTE, based on the state of knowledge at the global level with the contribution of international experts, focuses solely on technical feasibility.

Its release comes before the publication in the fall of a more complete assessment of RTE including the costs, social and environmental impacts of eight scenarios.

Faced with global warming, France is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, which implies increased use of carbon-free electricity for many uses (transport in particular).

Two options are on the table: replace some of our end-of-life reactors with new ones that do not develop renewable energy-based production (ENR) or completely replace end-of-life nuclear reactors with renewable energy sources. .

In both cases, the outlook is based on a significant increase in the share of variable renewable energies such as solar and wind power in French electricity production, points out the report from the IEA and RTE.

The second option, however, the one that would make room for renewable energies, would require four strict conditions listed by the IEA and RTE.

Challenge number 1: managing variability

First of all, being able to manage the variability ("intermittency") of wind and photovoltaic production: this is "the main challenge".

According to the report, "security of electricity supply (...) can be guaranteed if the sources of flexibility are developed significantly, in particular demand management, large-scale storage, cross-border interconnection".

We must "take an interest in the maturity of these solutions and verify that they have the potential to be deployed on a large scale within the expected timeframe", notes the text, referring to the need for "an industrial environment".

The second condition concerns the stability of the frequency.

Solutions exist, applied in Denmark or Australia, but their "generalized deployment remains to be evaluated".

Also have operational reserves

Third condition, the electricity network operator must have operational reserves and be able to intervene to balance the system.

It will be necessary to improve the real-time observability of production.

Finally, the networks will have to be developed and adapted in the medium term.

France's decision whether or not to launch new nuclear projects is expected in the next five-year term, the executive not wishing to commit before the start of the Flamanville EPR (Manche), subject to multiple delays and additional costs.

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