Foreword
As we all know, the availability of sufficiently abundant, easily mobilized and competitive energy is a primary condition to the economic and social development of a country. In spite of sobriety efforts and improvement of energy efficiency, the world is bound to face increasing energy needs. By 2050, the population of the planet will have increased by more than 30%. More than one billion people legitimately yearn to strongly increase their consumption and reach satisfactory standards of living...
I - ENERGY PRODUCTION
After the planning Act setting the energy orientations in 2005, the Grenelle Environment Summit implementation Acts and the “Climate and Energy Package” action plan adopted in early 2008 by the European Commission, France has initiated a new energy transition debate, which will lead to the energy transition planning Act in the autumn of 2013.
Although energy savings remain a core aspect of energy policy, renewable energies and nuclear energy are still the cornerstone of the low-carbon electricity production capacity, with amplification of the diversification process that was started in 2005.
II - Transformation, storage, transport and distribution
The early 21st century is a time of growing awareness of the energy problems facing our planet. This challenge is leading to significant changes in the way we approach energy, with the aim of not only diversifying the sources of this energy, but also introducing new energy carriers in order to address the needs of our new and more mobile lifestyles. For a long time, humans were sedentary, establishing themselves around directly usable energy sources. There is now a need to develop and optimize innovative technologies for the transformation, storage, transport and distribution of energy.
III. Improved use of energy
The growing demand for energy by individuals is historically correlated with the development of our civilizations and growth in GDP. However, the quantity of energy is not the sole factor involved in meeting human requirements.