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EAU0815388

How Can Alternative Sources of

Energy be Harnessed Effectively
in France
Introduction
The Earth has never been in a worse condition before. The rapidly growing population, paired
with technological advancements and the race among nations to surpass each other
economically, socially and technologically has led to the depletion of the Earths oncebeautiful environment. Countries all around the world, in their eagerness to develop and gain
power on the global horizon, had long turned a blind eye to the harm they are doing to the
Earths environment through excessive carbon emissions, burning of fossil fuels, as well as a
ruthless use of Earths non-renewable resources. However, in the recent past, when the
negative effects of global warming and Ozone depletion started surfacing, governments of
countries, especially the developed ones, started paying more attention to the consequences
their actions were having on the Earths environment, and an era of environmental
conservation began. Among the more prominent steps taken by these now-environmentallyconscious countries were the efforts invested into the development of renewable sources of
energy, in order to fuel development without causing irreversible harm to the Earth. There are
several renewable energy resources that can be used to fuel a nations development without
causing severe damage to the environment. Geothermal, hydropower, wind, solar, and
biomass are sources that can provide sustainable renewable energy at low costs (Herzog, et
al, 2001).France has been among the biggest users of energy generated by nuclear power in
the past, but now has increased efforts to invest in renewable energy sources. This paper shall
analyse the harnessing of renewable energy sources in France, and the potential benefits that
can come out of these efforts.

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Nuclear Energy Generation in France

France is a country with numerous resources and has been among the nations to develop
quickly by making use of the resources at hand. Its development, however, came at a cost to
the environment, particularly because the nations dependence on nuclear fission for power
generation was alarmingly high. France is the worlds second largest generator of nuclear
power after the USA (Amiel, 2014), and has been generating around 75% of its power from
nuclear energy, posing a significant threat to its environment and people. Alarmed by the
hazards caused by the atomic energy resources, however, France has been working on the use
and promotion of alternative energy resources, and has pledged to cut down the dependence
on nuclear energy sources to 50% by 2025 (Irfan and ClimateWire, 2015). Frances high
dependence on nuclear energy may be largely due to the fact that it is able to generate
electricity through atomic sources at fairly low costs, saving a huge 3 billion annually
(World Nuclear Association, 2015).

The Move towards Alternative Energy Sources

Following a bill passed by the French Environment Minister in 2014, France began its quest
to seek alternative energy resources and to reduce dependence on nuclear power. France is
bestowed with the largest forested area in Western Europe, and has the highest potential of
wind energy and hydroelectric resources because of its geographical location and climatic
conditions (Norton Rose Fulbright, 2013). France is currently using two main renewable
sources for energy generation hydropower and biomass. Biomass is contributes to around
52% of Frances renewable energy resources, while the tidal plant in Brittany has been
generating cheap electricity for the country for around 45 years. The tidal plant generates
enough power to serve around 3 million homes, with negligible operational costs due to
frequent floods and less than 0.5% maintenance costs (Campus France, 2011).

Harnessing Alternative Energy Resources Effectively

According to a survey quoted by Magnien (1977) in his article, test installations of
decentralized solar power as a source of energy resulted in a high success rate, revealing that
France has potential for generation power from solar energy resources as well. The article
also discuss a history of wind generation in France, showing that the climate and geographic
location of the country can easily provide France with the potential to generate high amounts
of power through wind turbines. Both these potentials can be harnessed by the government
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investing in solar and wind power projects. Another article in Expat Focus (n.d.) states that
heat pumps are also gaining popularity in French households, whereby heat energy is drawn
from the hot air in the environment, from the underground, as well as from the water sources
like wells or lakes, and brought inside the houses. This highlights that alternative energy
sources can be further harnessed effectively if the general public is also involved in their use
and awareness about these sources is spread among the people.
Furthermore, in order to effectively harness renewable energy resources in France, it is
important for policy-makers to remain consistent in their environmental policies. In the past,
the frequent change of policies regarding the renewable energy resources has slowed down
the pace of the progress of these alternative sources of energy (Norton Rose, Fulbright,
2013).
In addition, in order to fuel the development of renewable energy sources, extensive research
needs to be done so as to find the most cost effective and sustainable methods of generating
power. According to the report by Campus France (2011), the French government has
invested extensively in environmental research in order to find the country alternative sources
for energy generation and to reduce its reliance on nuclear power.

Conclusion
France has, despite the abundance of renewable natural resources, largely been depending on
nuclear power for its energy generation, which can be dangerous for both, the environment as
well as its people. Recently, however, it has begun to recognize the need for renewable
sources of energy for power generation and has started making efforts to reduce the
dependence on nuclear power plants. Its geographic location and climate have made France
an ideal place to make use of wind and hydropower as energy sources, while the use of solar
power has also been met with success previously in some pilot projects. These instances show
that France has the ability to harness the potential of its renewable energy resource effectively
if the government invests in the development of these resources and raises awareness among
the general public about the need and importance of using alternative sources of energy. This
way, its dependence on nuclear energy shall be reduced and will pave way for sustainable
development of the country.

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References
1. Herzog, A.V. et al. (2001). Renewable Energy Sources. Encyclopaedia of Life
Support Systems.
2. Amiel, G. (2014). France to Dim its Reliance on Nuclear Power. The Wall Street
Journal. Available at http://www.wsj.com/articles/france-to-dim-its-reliance-onnuclear-power-1403113287 [Retrieved Oct 24, 2015].
3. Irfan, U. and ClimateWire. (2015). France Loses Enthusiasm for Nuclear Power.
Scientific American. Available at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/france-losesenthusiasm-for-nuclear-power/ [Retrieved Oct 23, 2015].
4. Nuclear Power in France. (2015). World Nuclear Association. Available at
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-A-F/France/ [Retrieved
Oct 23, 2015].
5. Renewable Energy Research in France. (2011). Campus France. Available at
http://ressources.campusfrance.org/catalogues_recherche/recherche/en/rech_energies_
en.pdf [Retrieved Oct 24, 2015].
6. Manien, M. (1977). Utilizing Alternative Energy Sources in France. International
Journal of Energy Research, 1(1), pp. 55-67.
7. France Renewable Energy. (n.d.). Expat Focus. Available at
http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-france-renewables [Retrieved Oct 24, 2015].
8. European Renewable Energy Incentive Guide France. (2013). Norton Rose
Fulbright. Available at
http://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/knowledge/publications/66831/europeanrenewable-energy-incentive-guide-france [Retrieved Oct 24, 2015].