La biomasse, activité alternative au développement des zones rurales

IV- An energy with a future

Until now, the promotion of renewable energies was the varied program object, of unequal importance at the national and Community level.

1- European programs

The Member States having only few means to carry out projects with the biomass for fuel, or in general any other form of renewable energy, the European programs are essential in this step.

a) The countryside for the takeoff of the renewable sources of energy

The White Paper identifies three sectors, biomass, wind, solar, with tested technologies, which are regarded as essential achieving the goal on the one hand of 12% of the renewable sources of energy in the energy balance, but which need an initial impulse to accelerate and improve their penetration on the market, which would allow economies of scale and, consequently, a reduction of the costs. Another priority is to integrate renewable energies within the communities wishing that their energy provisioning be exclusively assured by renewable sources of energy.

With regard to the biomass, the objectives of the countryside for takeoff are as follows :

· ten thousand megawatts thermal generated by installations of cogeneration starting from the biomass

· a million residences heated by the biomass

· thousand megawatts generated by installations of biogas

· five million liquid tons of fuels

The biomass is a widespread resource since it includes/understands, in addition to the woody biomass and the residues of the processing industry of wood, the cultures energy, the agricultural residues and the agroalimentary effluents, the liquid manures as well as the organic share of solid urban waste, the sorted household refuse and muds

of purification. The biomass is a source of general-purpose energy insofar as it can produce, according to needs', of electricity, heat or the fuel. It can be stored, unlike electricity, in an inexpensive and generally simple way. Moreover, the power of the manufacturing units can strongly vary : small units with the units producing several megawatts. « The total objective of a penetration of 12% of renewable energies from here 2010, stated in the White Paper, can be achieved only thanks to one important use of the biomass »^32(*). This is why, the outing in the country devoted to the biomass revêt a significant importance, the total contribution of the countryside is estimated at surroundings 14,5 million tons oil equivalent, that is to say 16% of the penetration estimated of the biomass in 2010 according to the White Paper. The takeoff campaign will require investments of surroundings 12,4 billion euros. (Appendix 19)

In addition to the objectives in the above definite key sectors, the countryside for the takeoff of renewable energies is also fixed for task, as the White Paper indicates it, to identify « hundred communities » having for objectives to obtain an energy provisioning exclusively assured by renewable energies. This program of « hundred communities », in its initial version of the White Paper, an interest shown in all the European Union caused and could also constitute a point of reference for the installation of a decentralized energy provisioning.

To optimize the potential of technologies related to the renewable sources of energies, it is advisable to use them jointly each time that is justified in the field of the productivity, either in integrated systems for the local electricity supply or in systems dispersed for the regional food. There is a great number of communities which show characteristics very different in terms from size, demographic density, standard of living, climatic conditions, styles of construction, cultural traditions, energy richnesses and, of course, energy systems. The following characteristics are then important in the evaluation of the feasibility of an integration of the renewable sources of energy :

· density of power consumption per unit of area taking into consideration renewable source of energy available

· presence and energy type of infrastructure

· structure of the consumption of electricity

One can then then classify the communities following of the criteria of sizes and geographical situation :

· urban communities, solar contribution lower than the density of power consumption, other renewable sources of energy in reduced quantity, examples : groups of buildings, districts of residential zones, villages, cities, large cities

· rural communities, solar contribution proportioned with the density of power consumption, other renewable sources of energy (wind, water, biomass) in generally significant quantity, examples : small rural zones, provinces, areas

· isolated communities, solar contribution more important than the density of power or proportioned consumption to this density, other renewable sources of energy in generally significant quantity, not or little interconnection to the external electrical supply network, example : isolated zones, autonomous islands, zones^33(*)

The communities candidates must work out the plan which they will adopt to optimize the penetration of renewable energies. They must stop a strategy defining a calendar, priorities and partners able to implement the necessary actions and to supervise their unfolding. Local and regional communities, as well as the regional centers of energy, have a role important to play in the implementation of the program. The preference must be given to the activities implying of the combinations of several technologies, because such projects must be likely to cover all the chain of development, design with the realization. The costs of this initiative are difficult to quantify with precision because of the width and the very diverse nature of each possible action.

As the White Paper indicates it on the renewable sources of energy, the countryside is intended to support the implementation of projects on a large scale in the key sectors of the renewable sources of energy and to send clear signals, encouraging the increased exploitation of the latter. The role of the Commission will consist in defining a framework, bringing a technical aid and financial if necessary and coordinating the actions. The role of the Member States in this action will be determining : it will rest with to them to promote the objectives of the countryside and to coordinate the actions at the national level. If the role of the public sector is essential, the principal role of the countryside east however to help and encourage the private sector and to engage all the parts interested in promotion of renewable energies (Appendix 19).

* ³² Document of the Commission departments, Countryside for the takeoff of the sources of renewable energy, p 18

* ³³ ibid, p 5