Fossil or renewable energy: replacing nuclear power, what CO2 impact?

2024-04-05 09:30:02

According to the Molinari economic institute, in 45 years, nuclear power would have allowed France to avoid approximately 25 times the total CO2 emissions of 2022 compared to a 100% fossil mix. So what would a 100% renewable mix have resulted in?

In 2022, French territorial CO emissions₂ amounted to 403.8 million tonnes of equivalent (CO₂ eq). In his study “ Why France must absolutely perpetuate its historic choice of nuclear energy » published last December, the Molinari economic institute estimates that in 45 years, nuclear power would have enabled France to avoid total CO emissions approximately 25 times.₂ of 2022.

Nuclear power good for the climate?

To achieve this result, Georges Sapy, formerly of EDF and member of Sfen (French Nuclear Energy Company), estimates a cumulative net production of French reactors of 14,200 TWh since their commissioning to date. Nuclear power emitting 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ eq/TWh, French reactors therefore emitted the equivalent of 56.8 million tonnes of CO₂ since they took office.

From then on, he imagined an alternative electricity mix, based on fossil fuels, which would have emitted 750,000 tonnes of CO₂ eq more per TWh. This figure is consistent with the ADEME carbon base. Emissions per TWh produced in France are in fact 418,000 tonnes with gas, 730,000 tonnes with fuel oil and 1.1 million tonnes with coal. Thus, the 14,200 TWh of this imagined fossil mix would have emitted 10,650 million tonnes of CO₂ in 45 years. This is exactly 26.3 times more than 2022 national emissions.

And with renewable energies?

According to Ademe’s carbon base, per TWh, hydraulics emit 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ eq tonnes, offshore wind 15,600 tonnes, onshore wind 14,100 tonnes and photovoltaic panels 43,900 tonnes when produced in China. Solar panels manufactured in Europe and France have a lower carbon footprint: 32,300 tonnes and 25,200 tonnes per TWh respectively.

Based on this same reasoning, Techniques de l’Ingénieur wondered what the impact of a 100% renewable electricity mix would have been. In its 100% renewable reference scenario developed in 2015, Ademe imagined in 2050 a possible mix of 63% wind, 17% solar, 13% hydraulic and 7% renewable thermal. With this mix (excluding renewable thermal) and panels from China, each TWh would therefore emit 17,600 tonnes of CO₂. Ultimately, this 100% renewable mix would therefore have emitted the equivalent of 250 million tonnes of CO₂ for 45 years. This is 200 million tonnes more than with nuclear power, but only 0.5 times total CO emissions.₂ of 2022.

1712587298
#Fossil #renewable #energy #replacing #nuclear #power #CO2 #impact