This post is taken from the newsletter. “Human warmth”sent every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Every week, journalist Nabil Wakim, host of the Chaleur Humaine podcast, answers questions from Internet users about the climate challenge. You can register for free by clicking here.
Question of the week
“Hello, I have many questions about the so-called “green” energy that suppliers sell, do we have enough perspective to have an inventory and know if these offers are really virtuous for the environment? » Question asked by Sylvain at chaud humainee@lemonde.fr
My answer: Yuck. Most so-called “green” offers have a relatively weak impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and introduce confusion. But some are more serious than others. A recent label allows us to see things more clearly.
1. What is “green” electricity?
Sorry to digress, but first we must explain two things: the first is that there is only one electrical grid, and therefore everyone receives electricity from the same production sources. The second is that the term “green electricity” is a bit misleading: all production necessarily has an environmental impact, and that is why I prefer not to use this term.
What are green offers? These are contracts offered by most electricity suppliers that rely on production from renewable sources (mainly solar panels, wind turbines and dams). This does not include nuclear energy, which emits few greenhouse gases but is not considered renewable energy. To offer these offers, these providers purchase certificates from renewable energy producers. These are called “guarantees of origin”. The problem is that most green offers buy these certificates from companies that produce this electricity anyway: for example, dams in Norway or Slovenia. This does not mean that this electricity reaches your house. This is above all a transaction between two companies, which allows a “green” label to be applied. Consumer associations also ask for caution and demand more transparency. (See here on the 60 million consumer site, for example).
All of this is well explained in this article. world money from my colleague Nathalie Coulaud.
2. Are all offers this vague?
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