La biomasse, activité alternative au développement des zones rurales

2- Biomass

The Commission fixed itself for objective to double the share of renewable energies in the total consumption of energy for master key of 6% in 1997 to 12% in 2010.

The biomass, according to the White Paper, could contribute to a significant degree to the reinforcement of a security of durable supply.

a) Renewable sources of energy

The renewable sources of energy represent, at present, meadows of 6% of the European provisioning including 2% for the biomass. The objective of doubling on behalf of renewable energies in the production of electricity, regularly marked since 1985, could not be achieved^18(*). It is essential that the Member States regard this objective as theirs and lay down national objectives in connection with that of the Union.

Between 1985 and 1998, the increase in the energy production resulting from renewable is important in relative terms, + 30%, but in absolute terms, it is still weak, 65 to 68 million tons oil equivalent. This weak total penetration hiding place very variable shares from one country to another. Four countries have recourse to renewable energies in a significant proportion : Portugal with 15,7%, Finland with 21,8%, Austria with 23,3% and Sweden with 28,5% of the energy production^19(*). These countries are based on the use of their forest and hydraulic potential. In the years to come, the participation of renewable energies should grow in absolute terms. Their proportion in the energy balance will depend largely on their connection to the electrical supply network and their competitiveness.

The primary energy production records the total interior energy production. The interior energy production of the Community covers only a little more half of the needs for the latter and the deficit of the offer increases. The renewable sources of energy are preferable for environmental reasons and can help to reduce the dependence with respect to foreign sources of fuels. The biomass and by extension the wind power are two types of renewable sources of energy which constitute opportunities for agriculture. They contributed to a total value of 2,3% with the complementary primary energy production and represented less than 10% of the primary energy production in 1996. Their contribution to the rough interior power consumption is comparable with that declared by the United States (Appendix 4).

Just like in the United States, the hydraulic power as well as the biomass and waste constitute the principal renewable sources of energy in the European Union. The other renewable sources of energy contribute a less share, but their share increases very quickly (Appendix 5).

The technical and economic potential existing as regards large hydroelectric power stations either is already exploited at bottom or not exploitable because of environmental constraints. The future increase in the contribution of the hydraulic power will be probably the fact of small hydroelectric factories of a power lower than 10 MW. The production of these last increased by 11,8% during five years past and reached, now, 13% of the total hydroelectric production. The more important power stations, of a power higher than 10 MW, see their production decreasing by 1%, but always account for 87% of the total hydroelectric production. 

The wind power is currently the source of energy which knows the fastest growth for the production of electricity: its contribution was eight times higher

in 1996 that in 1989. It however is distributed unequally within the European Community, since 97% of the total Community production of wind power came, in 1996, of 6 Member States only. Germany ensures 43% of the wind energy production of the 15 Member States, Denmark 25%, the United Kingdom 10%, the Netherlands 9%, Spain 7% and Sweden 3%. In these countries, the zones potentially appropriate to the applications of the wind power do not have all the same degree of competitiveness and some of them must support costs of installation and/or additional exploitation because of their specific geographical situation. Nevertheless, a major contribution on behalf of the wind power is probable in the near future.

Solar energy can be thermal, photovoltaic or passive. Approximately 1% come from photovoltaic systems and 99% (295 ktep in 1996) of thermal solar panels. Passive solar energy is the principal source of solar energy, but it is not entered in the statistics considering, in the facts, it is obtained primarily by diffusion of the solar radiation through the windows. Solar energy is produced in Greece, in Germany, in Austria, in Spain, in France and in Portugal. In 1996, these Member States accounted for 90% of the Community production of solar energy and their production increased by 180% compared to 1989. Only Germany and Austria posted progressions definitely stronger, being established respectively to 400% and 800%.

* ¹⁸ this objective is defined in the Official Journal of the European Communities C241 of September 25, 1986

* ¹⁹ Deliver Vert for a Community strategy, Energie for the future  : sources of renewable energy, p 47