Space Industry and Business News
ENERGY NEWS
Macron promises heat pump boost in French climate plan
Macron promises heat pump boost in French climate plan
by AFP Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Sept 25, 2023

President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday France will triple its heat pump production over the next four years as part of a government climate plan.

Calling heat pumps "a fabulous lever for substitution, with much lower energy consumption and emissions", Macron said France would produce one million such devices, and train 30,000 people able to install them, by 2027 when Macron leaves office after two terms.

Heat pumps can both heat and cool air, and are increasingly seen as a climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuel heating systems such as gas boilers, as well as air conditioning.

According to the International Energy Agency, the heating of space and water accounts for almost half of the global energy use in buildings, with nearly two thirds being covered with fossil fuels.

It has called for faster deployment of heat pumps and other means of decarbonising heat to meet governments' commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Speaking after a session of a council on climate held at the presidential palace with key ministers, Macron also said that the government would spend 700 million euros ($740 million) on the creation of 13 suburban train lines, known as RER, in and around French cities "to encourage people to switch from private cars to lower-emission public transport".

Contracts would be signed with regional authorities that would allow France's rail industries to launch new projects, and create jobs, he said.

The climate plan would help make France more "sovereign", "competitive" and "fair" as it decarbonises the economy, he said.

France has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to their 1990 levels.

This, Macron said, meant France had to move "twice as fast" now compared to previous years.

- Industrial solutions -

Turning to the price of energy, which has risen in the context of oil price rises, war in Ukraine and inflation, Macron said that France would "take back control of our electricity prices" by next month.

This, he said, would make the cost of energy both "bearable" and "visible" for households and companies.

Macron said he stood by his target of France producing at least one million electric cars by 2027, and becoming an exporter of car batteries the same year.

The climate plan, Macron said, was part of France's strategy to foster "an ecology that creates economic value" in Europe, and to end "our dependence on fossil fuels" the price of which he said totalled 120 billion euros per year for France.

As part of the plan, Macron said the government would work with high-emissions large industries such as steel and cement making and chemical industries to reduce their carbon footprint.

Its mining sector would explore for metals, including lithium and cobalt, needed for battery production, he said.

The country would also seek out sources of natural hydrogen in its territory for use in the transition towards cleaner energy.

France was also examining its possibilities to install "at least one site" for carbon capture, a fledgling process by which carbon is extracted from the air and stored, increasingly seen as necessary to reduce global warming.

A French solution for carbon capture would "reduce our dependence on the outside world" in that area, Macron said.

burs-jh/giv

Related Links

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ENERGY NEWS
UK's Sunak defends climate policy shift
London (AFP) Sept 21, 2023
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday insisted he was "not slowing down efforts" to tackle climate change, a day after softening green policies aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. He spoke out after his rethink in green policy was met with a backlash from opposition lawmakers, environmental campaigners, the car industry and even some MPs from his Conservative Party. Sunak had told a news conference on Wednesday that the UK was adopting a more "pragmatic, proportionat ... read more

ENERGY NEWS
Hit soccer video game adds mixed-gender teams, sheds FIFA name

Mineral-hungry clean tech sees countries seeking to escape China's shadow

One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors

FAA proposes rule to reduce space debris as SpaceX launches 22 satellites into orbit

ENERGY NEWS
SSC partners with Johns Hopkins for software best practices in protected SATCOM

Picogrid releases smallest AI-Enabled Command Station deployable in minutes

PLD SPACE signs a MOU with WISeKey to launch ultra-secure satellites with MIURA 5

Space Force awards Viasat contract for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite Services

ENERGY NEWS
ENERGY NEWS
Galileo becomes faster for every user

Present and future of satellite navigation

New Galileo station goes on duty

Potential earthquake precursor discovered through GPS measurements

ENERGY NEWS
Government and industry collaboration leads to first air taxi delivery

Long-haul flights - small changes with a big climate impact

Austrian Airlines green flight claims misled: court

'We got a pilot in our house' homeowner tells dispatcher after F-35 ejection

ENERGY NEWS
AI chip crunch: startups vie for Nvidia's vital component

Atomic layer deposition route to scalable, electronic-grade van der Waals Te thin films

New qubit circuit enables quantum operations with higher accuracy

System combines light and electrons to unlock faster, greener computing

ENERGY NEWS
Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds

Big Earth Data can support sustainable development goals

Trio of Sentinel satellites map methane super-emitters

Greek SST system goes live with GMV software

ENERGY NEWS
Vietnam jails climate activist for tax evasion; Thai court drops charges over murdered activist

European firms scrap toxic ships on Bangladesh beaches: HRW

US sues eBay for selling products that harm environment

Philippine smog prompts health warnings, school closures

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.