Onshore wind energy
These pages deal with onshore wind energy, which is our line of business; offshore wind energy uses different technology and the requirements and obligations involved are not the same.
Legislation
French law makers decided that wind energy in France would be developed by private companies. The rules governing the sector are encompassed in a set of laws, rulings and decrees. This means that all projects require planning permission issued by the State and wind generators can only be put up if they adhere strictly to the planning rules governing the area in question and to a variety of different land rights.
In France, wind energy prices are governed by rates negotiated and set by ministerial decree.
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French wind energy in the European context
Clean energy production throughout the world is provided through diversification of sources and continent-wide or even intercontinental management (e.g. Europe – North Africa…) of the production (supply) and consumption (demand) balance.
France has decided to take on board the EU approach to energy and in keeping with the European directive has set itself the target of obtaining 21% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010, compared with the 15% it currently obtains.
According the Grenelle Environnement press pack, the aim of the Grenelle Environnement process "cannot be met without significant development of wind energy. (…) By 2020, we need to progress to approximately 20,000 MW of onshore wind power (…)".
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Wind turbines on the landscape
Human beings have always shaped almost all their surrounding spaces. Wind farms are part of this evolution of our landscape.
Landscape is of vital importance to France and contributes to the country's national identity. The biggest challenge for a wind farm planning permission application is the landscape. Developers are therefore obliged to focus their efforts on integrating wind farms into their immediate surroundings. The aim is to preserve the existing heritage and the features specific to that individual landscape. Wind farms are therefore designed according to the features of their location.
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Wind turbines and the question of the environment
The impact of wind power projects on the natural environment is generally very small and easily controlled. To remain true to this statement, a wind farm must be set up on the basis of assessments carried out by professionals, in consultation with the relevant authorities, local organisations and experts. This is why the key document in the planning permission application dossier is the impact assessment.
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Do wind turbines make more noise than… noise?
The first generation wind turbines were noisy. Wind turbines produce two different kinds of noise: mechanical noise (from the gear movements) and aerodynamic noise (from wind circulation and resistance in the blades). Thanks to research and technological advances (in design and materials), manufacturers are now able to produce turbines that can barely be heard a few hundred metres away.
What is the relative scale of the noise produced by wind turbines?
Wind energy projects are obliged to undergo an acoustic assessment to determine the baseline ambient noise in the area and to ensure that the maximum authorised increase in noise level is adhered to (5 decibels during the day and 3 at night time).
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