Development of Renewable Energies in France: What Contribution from the Carbon Market

by Cécile Bordier, Caisse des Dépôts, December 2008

This was a report in English by the French Bank, Caisse des Dépôts, that included the “overcost” from the French system of Advanced Renewable Tariffs and compared the overcost to that in Great Britain.

A chart from the report showing the counterintuitive result that as more renewable energy is added to the French system under their program of Advanced Renewable Tariffs, the cost of the program is declining. The reason for this perplexing result is that renewable generation, in this case mostly wind energy, is offsetting increasingly expensive fossil fuel. Natural gas is the fuel used at the margins in France where base load is predominantly nuclear.

Development of Renewable Energies in France: What Contribution from the Carbon Market by Cécile Bordier, Caisse des Dépôts, December 2008

DEVELOPPEMENT DES ENERGIES RENOUVELABLES : QUELLE CONTRIBUTION DU MARCHE DU CARBONE ?