Electricity generation from renewable sources

Electricity, the clean form of energy par excellence, is currently produced, to the tune of 80%, by burning fossil fuels or uranium 235 (nuclear fission), both of which are exhaustible resources [D 3 900] . It is therefore a major contributor to the production of environmentally harmful waste. Yet renewable energy resources are considerable and perfectly capable, in the long term, of meeting most of our needs. But apart from hydroelectricity, a perfectly mature technology, solutions for converting renewable resources - sun, wind, waves, biomass, etc. - are still in the industrial take-off phase and represent only a small part of the overall balance sheet.

After many ups and downs, environmental constraints, the approaching exhaustion of fossil and fissile resources, and concerns about energy independence have since the 1990s led to a significant take-off in renewable electricity generation, which we call "new", i.e. excluding "large hydro".

The main aim of this article is to raise the reader's awareness of developments in "new sectors" and their energy and economic potential. However, it is far from exhaustive, particularly in the most emerging fields where "economic nature" has not yet made a selection.