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Renewable energies are energies derived from natural resources which can renew themselves infinitely. They are in direct opposition to fossil fuels, which take millions of years to form and which cause emissions of harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
Renewable energy therefore has a double advantage over fossil energy: it can be permanently renewed and has a very limited impact on the environment. Thus, in order to face the climate crisis, it becomes a major challenge. Now less expensive in most countries, they are gaining popularity and can also create three times more jobs than fossil fuel combustion. But then, what is the green energy most used in the world, and in France ?
What is the green energy most used in the world ?
Since the planet is 72% water, one might believe that hydroelectricity should logically be the most used green energy in the world. However, it is not the case. In reality, 10% of energy consumed worldwide comes from biomass and organic waste (in 2019). It is therefore the most widely used renewable energy at the moment.
As a reminder, biomass makes it possible to obtain heating , electricity, but also fuel and gas, making it a great tool for creating many forms of energy, while renewing organic waste. As for hydroelectricity, since we were talking about it, it represented only 2.5% of global energy consumption.
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What is the most used renewable energy in France ?
In France, the first source of renewable energy is the wood energy sector. It represents 33% of primary energy consumption from green sources. In second position comes renewable hydropower with 19.3%, then wind power with 12.7< /strong> %.
Thus, contrary to popular belief, solar energy only constitutes a small fraction of energy consumption renewable energy in France. Considering both photovoltaic solar and thermal solar, this source actually only corresponds to less than 5% of French green energy consumption.
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However, it is important to note a global change in the production of green energy over the last thirty years. In 1990, only hydraulic and wood energy were used on a mass scale. Today, many new sources have joined popular green energies, such as wind, renewable waste, photovoltaics, heat pumps and biofuels.
In the long term, it is therefore possible that wood energy will be overtaken by heat pumps, biofuels or wind. These have all benefited from a considerable increase in production since the end of the 2000s. In Europe, renewable energies have increased from 5% of global energies to 15% in 2019.
What about nuclear power ?
It is obvious that if we consider nuclear energy as a renewable energy, then it would be the most used in France. However, obviously, the name is debated since radioactive waste is still poorly controlled. However, in 2022, MEPs voted to adopt the green label on nuclear power.
Nuclear power does not emit harmful gases greenhouse unlike a thermal power plant, which makes it a renewable energy according to European law despite its faults. If nuclear power is considered a green energy, then it is obviously the most used in France.
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In 2020, < strong>nuclear power alone represented 39.2% of overall primary energy consumption in the country, which is already 3 times more than all other green energies combined. It is also more than petroleum products (27.5%) and natural gas (16.9%). If we consider the whole world, nuclear power corresponds to 5% of the energy mix, for a simple reason: very few countries have still this technology, although this could change in the future.
What is energy wood?< /h2>
Let us now ignore nuclear power, since its belonging to renewable energies is still debated today. Wood energy is then the most popular source of green energy in France, but what is it?? Wood energy actually corresponds to the heat produced at made from wood, which can take different shapes.
It can thus correspond to the use of fireplaces , inserts, stoves and log boilers in private homes, or boiler rooms in collective and industrial housing. In the latter case, they source wood from the forest or even wood residue from sawmills, or even wood waste.
© Pexels < p>Seven million homes heat with wood via an individual appliance at home, but this consumption is not free from defects. Indeed, domestic wood heating is responsible for 98% of PM2.5 particle emissions. It is nevertheless possible to overcome this problem by strengthening the insulation of buildings or by accelerating the replacement of old appliances with new ones, more efficient and less consuming.
Wood is energy a risk for the protection of forests ?
This is another of the usual questions asked about the use of wood as a source of heating energy: isn't it a bad thing for forests? ? Not necessarily. Wood harvesting practices must indeed respect a certain number of rules: foliage must not be exported, for example. Similarly, it is necessary to keep a portion of wood on the exploited plot, and finally reason the harvesting of stumps.
The impacts of climate change on forests play an important role in the uncertainty about the levels of availability of wood, but also about the quality of the latter in forests. In other words, it is necessary to respect the resource so that it remains abundant. As things stand, however, the use of wood as a heating energy source remains a safe bet in France.
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