4. Structure and economics of the wood-energy sector

In response to the need to develop clean, renewable energies, a number of structures and associations have been set up to help private individuals, industrialists and local authorities organize the entire process involved in running a boiler plant: design, sizing, construction, supply, maintenance, ash disposal...

Within this framework, Ademe is the central body structuring the sector and organizing its development.

In 1994, Ademe developed the first program to support the use of wood energy, particularly in the collective and tertiary sectors: the Plan Bois-Énergie et Développement Local (PBEDL). Eleven regions took part, enabling the commissioning of a large number of collective and industrial wood-fired heating systems (190 systems for a total investment of almost 400 million francs (6 million euros). The storms of December 1999 wreaked...