A fully fledged roadmap, approved on 3 March by the Senate at the initiative of the ministry led by Ségolène Royal. The energy transition starts with renewables, efficiency and sustainable mobility.
A journey that began in 2012 and culminated on 4 February, when the Council of Ministers adopted the "plan for the energy transition" — a roadmap that will help the nation develop actions and projects dedicated to sustainability and energy efficiency.
"An important date, that on which the energy transition bill for green growth was voted on," reads the official website of the French Government. "All parliamentary groups were aware of the need to establish a new energy model, one that contributes to creating new jobs and is capable of combating climate change, making France a centre of environmental excellence."
Green roofs, renewables, green jobs. There are many initiatives — it would be difficult to list them all. The one attracting the most media attention is the requirement for new buildings to install photovoltaic systems or green roofs in order to improve energy efficiency. The story was reported by the Guardian and picked up by various outlets.
Not just photovoltaics. The energy question remains front and centre. The French Government has two broader-reaching projects: the selection of 200 urban communities that will voluntarily take part in the "energy transition". In this case, the State will monitor the projects and offer advice on transforming local realities into fully fledged eco-cities. The underlying idea is to start at the local level and scale good practices up to the regional level. The goal: to reduce energy use by 50 per cent by 2050.
Substantial investments in renewables have been championed in particular by Ségolène Royal and Emmanuel Macron. The Government will contribute a total of 93 million euros across six separate projects, which are set to focus on the development of offshore wind platforms and the harnessing of wave motion to produce renewable energy.
France and electric vehicles. Mobility is the other challenge facing Royal's Ministry of Ecology. The plan envisages renewing the national vehicle fleet through the already familiar "eco-bonuses". For the purchase of an electric vehicle, a bonus of up to 10,000 euros will be available, while for a hybrid the figure is up to 6,500.
France will also aim at creating a charging network distributed across the entire national territory. This includes tax breaks for apartment blocks or buildings wishing to install charging points, as well as the creation of a true "electric corridor" comprising 24 charging stations along the Rhône, which will use renewable energy.
France has sent a clear signal to the whole of Europe regarding the direction of national energy policy. All that remains is to watch how much of this becomes reality and, perhaps, to take a few notes.