2023 will go down in history as a particularly difficult year for the renewable energy sector. The geopolitical situation caused companies involved in fossil fuels, the only ones capable of responding quickly to shortages, to take a dive. Between virtue and the urgent need to find energy sources to replace Russian exports, the market’s choice was quickly made.
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His excesses, his megalomania, and his very personal conception of governance have made Elon Musk a particularly divisive figure. However, whether you like him or not, the fact remains that the plan to decarbonise the economy presented last month by Tesla is worth looking into.
2022 was one of the most successful years for the oil and gas industry; the industry is estimated to have made income of USD 4trn vs an average of USD 1.4-1.5trn in previous years. The six largest western oil companies made more money than in any year in the history of the industry: over USD 200bn.
While the climate emergency is becoming more pressing by the day, our country is continuing its usual policy of (very) small steps at a slow pace. And while solar power is now the cheapest source of electricity, we continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Sovereignty and energy independence being intimately linked, the transition towards decarbonized energy will necessarily be accompanied by a redistribution of geopolitical cards.
2023 will be a year of unprecedented policy support.
As Al Gore said at the opening of COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh in November, we cannot choose our misfortunes, but we can choose the benefits that come from them, especially when it comes to renewable energy. Indeed, we are in the early stages of a sustainability revolution that will have the scale of the industrial revolution and the speed of the digital revolution.
At present, the energy mix in the European Union is 42% fossil fuels, 35% renewable energies and 22% nuclear energy. And as the current crisis has unfortunately highlighted, most of the gas consumed in Europe comes from Russia (see graph below).
The drama unfolding in Ukraine signals the end of energy “recklessness” for Europe. The transition to a decarbonised economy has become a top political priority, guaranteeing our future independence.