“Leaf on panel” by OregonDOT on Flickr
US firm First Solar has made a strong statement of intent. Its €75 million investment to construct France’s largest solar panel manufacturing site reflects First Solar’s “firm belief in the French market and its great potential. It represents a vote of confidence in the policies being developed by the French government since the Grenelle de l’Environnement to promote renewable energies.”
France’s capacity to do this is largely thanks to the €450 billion of public and private funding expected to be pumped into France’s green economy between now and 2020. A colossal sum that includes the €2.5 billion recently allocated by the State to renewable and low-carbon energy sources, via the French government’s “National Loan” bond issue…
Supporting the development of the sector is a national priority
In the current context, solar energy has a leading part to play. Following the “Grenelle” environment laws, France has set itself an ambitious target of producing 5,400 MW of solar energy by 2020.
In 2008, the French Minister of Ecology in charge of green technology launched a call for tender to build at least one solar power station in each French region by 2011, amounting to a total installed capacity of 300 MW. Other initiatives, such as the introduction of a preferential rate when EDF buys back the solar electricity produced by private individuals and businesses, are further proof of the government’s support for the sector.
These efforts are also proving attractive to investors. In the opinion of Mark Morelli, the CEO of Energy Conversion Devices (ECD), the world’s leading manufacturer of photovoltaic laminates, “France (…) has expressed its long-term support of alternative energy (…) and the recent change to its feed-in-tariff structure establishes a sustainable foundation to meet those objectives”.
Even more encouraging is that the French market appears to be ready for change: in a survey conducted by OpinionWay, 73% of French people polled said they were in favor of producing most of the country’s electricity using renewable energy sources. 69% of them placed solar power in this category unprompted. Better still, 90% were in favor of installing solar panels on their roof and 80% stated that they were prepared to take the plunge and acquire the necessary equipment. Consequently, the world leader in solar panels, Chinese company Suntech, which established itself in the Rhône-Alpes region in 2008, has estimated that the French market will be its second or third largest market in 2010.
Research and training, a two-pronged offensive
To support the solar power sector, France has set in motion a significant R&D effort. Of France’s 71 official innovation clusters, 27 are focused on issues directly related to the environment. Some are devoted exclusively to renewable energy, such as Tenerrdis in Rhône-Alpes, S2E2 in the Centre region and Capenergies in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Corsica. In Languedoc-Roussillon, the Derbi cluster brings together public, private and research organizations to develop innovations in the field of renewable energy for construction and industry.
On the training side, new diplomas in energy management and renewable energy are becoming increasingly commonplace. The number of students following sustainable development training, from baccalaureate to degree level, has risen 2.2% per year since 1997.
As such, France is standing ready to consolidate its position of strength in the world of renewable energy.
