A recent report from the International Energy Agency reveals that there has been a sharp drop in the costs of the main renewable energy technologies.

First of all, it is important to clarify that the term "renewable energy" covers biomass - which probably represents more than 10% of total energy consumption in the world -, hydroelectricity, which covers 7% of our needs, and "new renewable energies", especially solar and wind power, which represent about 6% of total energy consumption. Wind and solar energy contributed barely 1% of our energy needs a decade ago, and their growth has been very rapid.

The consumption of biomass and hydroelectricity is increasing steadily but rather slowly because biomass can run into deforestation problems and hydroelectricity is more and more contested because dams result in the flooding of vast areas and require significant population displacement.

The issue of renewable energies has therefore tended to focus on solar and wind power. The cost of these technologies has decreased significantly over the last few years and has favored a rapid development. Of course this development is also linked to the fight against climate change because renewable energies, unlike fossil fuels - oil, coal, natural gas - do not emit CO2, the main greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

The European Union wants to be a leader in the fight against climate change and is putting in place policies that promote the development of wind and solar power.

How much have investments in renewable energy increased? With what results in terms of production capacity and jobs?

Investments in wind and solar have increased significantly in recent years. Wind and solar generate electricity. Wind power capacity has increased fourfold in 10 years and solar power capacity has increased tenfold over the same period. China, where the majority of electricity production is still based on coal, is the leader in renewable energy and has about 40% of the world's wind and solar capacity.

The installation of solar panels and the construction of wind turbines are obviously a source of many jobs.

The IEA even predicts that energy production with wind power will certainly exceed that of coal by 2027. Is this true and what will it change?

In 2021, more than 35% of the world's electricity was still produced from coal, which remains the main source of electricity, and 13% from wind and solar. The share of coal, often replaced by gas, is tending to decrease while the progression of wind and solar is rapid. The progress of renewable energies in China, Europe, the United States and many other countries will certainly lead them to overtake coal for electricity production in a few years, but for the time being, the low cost of coal remains an asset for this fuel which unfortunately emits a lot of CO2.

Should we be concerned about the Chinese preponderance in this market?

China is by far the main supplier of photovoltaic panels for the production of solar electricity and is one of the main producers of the raw materials needed to manufacture wind turbines and batteries (needed for electric vehicles). This situation is largely due to the desire of Western countries to export expensive and polluting products. Western countries are trying to rebalance this situation. It is possible but costly.

How can we continue to amplify the movement on renewables without putting ourselves in difficult positions due to intermittency?

The intermittency of solar and wind power obviously requires that thermal production capacities (coal, natural gas) be available when the wind and sun are gone. The availability of batteries to store electricity can alleviate these difficulties, but these batteries are expensive and require significant raw material resources.