5 more good reasons for supporting renewable energies

To be part of the European political goals

On the basis of the Kyoto Protocol engagements, the European Union has very clearly defined the 2 main objectives of its policy for durable energy:

1 - Economy and efficiency in energy
2 - Development of new energies

This engagement is translated by the application European legislation backed by national political incentives (tariffs, consumption quotas, Green Certificates etc). On a horizon of 2010 it sets high level 3 quantitative objects for the whole of Europe (2):

• To attain 12% of total energy consumption with renewable energies
• 21% of renewable energies for electricity
• 5.75% biofuels

Conserving natural resources

Renewable energies exist in unlimited quantities (flows) contrary to fossil energy sources that exist in finite quantities (stocks).
Beyond the fact that a large part of the energy resources accumulated over millions of years has been dilapidated over very short time period, is the moral question of knowing up to what point this can knowingly continue: at the present rate of consumption, the end of oil can be expected before the end of the present century.

Rapid diversification of our electrical energy production methods

If since 1994, the production of renewable energy has continued to increase in value, this remains lower than that of electricity produced by conventional methods, which has increased even more rapidly, as the relative fall in electricity from renewable sources shows in world production, that is from 20% in 1994 to 18.2% in 2004 (1).
This regrettable observation is all the more preoccupying as it reveals a structural inertia in world production, and is incompatible with the urgency of the situation relative to climatic change and the need to reduce our emissions of GHGs.

Anticipating future energy needs

The development of renewable energies relative to the growth of world population is a major challenge in view of the needs of emerging countries (India, China and Brazil) and the excessive consumption and waste generated by developed countries.
The anticipated lack of energy, and the constraints due to climatic change as well as the rarefaction of fossils fuels, supposes an increase in new investments with a preference for less polluting infrastructures.

Encouraging mature technologies with high added values

Initially, the choice of combustible fossils fuels was imposed by budgetary limitations (growth of emerging countries based on low cost combustible fossils fuels, due to financing and profitability needs of investments).
This tendency is no longer valid due to the rising price of oil, but also because renewable technologies have reached maturity with a better profitability.
In fact, the development of renewable energies present real economic and social opportunities, including growth, jobs for qualified personal, economic competitivity and industrial export opportunities.