Tribune. The news – COP26, spectacular rise in the cost of energy – reminds us every day: the energy transition is underway and must still accelerate. However, to be successful, this can only be done in accordance with the laws of the market.
The electricity market in France, as in Europe for that matter, is a perfect illustration of this.
Thus, for twenty years, intermittent renewable energies (wind turbines, solar panels) have benefited from guaranteed repurchase conditions – over fifteen or twenty years – and priority. This has resulted in a strong distortion of the electricity market with, for a decade, abnormally low prices linked to overcapacity combined with chronic underinvestment in solutions and / or technologies which should nevertheless be the driving force of the energetic transition.
This artificial competitiveness of intermittent renewable energies, decorrelated from the laws of the market, responds to underinvestment which today results in a sharp rise in electricity prices but also in blackouts such as those which recently occurred in Texas (States -United).
We must return to a simple and universal principle, namely that of buying electricity from an independent producer who guarantees the supply
It’s time to come to your senses and get back to market fundamentals. We must put an end to rent-based capitalism which, in the long term, acts as a powerful brake on the energy transition that we are all calling for.
If intermittent renewable energies were truly subject to the laws of the market, neither wind turbines nor solar power plants would emerge. At least without being backed by additional equipment capable of providing a guarantee of supply (gas or hydrogen power plants in particular).
A situation which is of course not desirable but which underlines the importance of returning to a simple and universal principle, namely that of purchasing electricity from an independent producer who guarantees the supply. In short, developing intermittent renewable energy, yes, but respecting the market, that is to say by ensuring that it can be stored and / or replaced instantly.
The “blessed” period of cheap electricity is well and truly over. The increase observed in recent months will be sustainable for everyone – individuals and manufacturers alike – and probably worsened by sharply increasing demand in the coming years. The opportunity is therefore to define healthy market conditions based on an optimal use of the resources and solutions at our disposal.
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