“sustainable.” It is always possible for innovative pro- jects to get subsidies, but it requires more commit- ment and awareness from the project developers. 1.4 Biomass, a controversial sustainable production means Finally, when it comes to the alignment with local in- terests, the case of biomass is interesting. The specifi- cations on what is considered sustainable biomass are constantly evolving, but – despite years of discussions on the subject – there is no mandatory wood certifica- tion (concerning forest management or the local ori- gin of the wood). When talking to local authorities or representatives, their view on biomass sustainability is very much linked to the local origin of biomass and bi-
sidered as “sustainable” and benefit from subsidies.
“There was a challenge to prove that mine gas was indeed waste heat for the ADEME national office or the ministries, even if it is stated by law that it is indeed waste heat” (regional coordina- tor of the Heat Funds, own translation) 1.3 Keeping up with the innovations Moreover, it takes time for new technology to be add- ed to the list; in the meantime, it benefits from very little development. Low-temperature DH and cooling systems were only added in 2019 to the list, mean- ing that before that year, they could not benefit from the Heat Funds subsidies as they were not considered
2009 Renewable & Recovered heat: biomass, thermal solar panels, geother- mal, biogas
2013 Sustainable certification criteria for the forestry biomass under discus- sion Criteria on economic efficiency
2018 Mandatory concertation with users for district heating Integration of district cooling
2021 Allowed combination of the Heat Fund and the White Certificates
District heating (DH) Technical criteria & reporting
2012
2014
2019 Integration of low-tem- perature district heating and cooling
Tighter dust emission criteria for biomass More specifications on reporting Mandatory roadmap for DH Biogas criteria being drafted
No criteria on sustain- able certification of forestry biomass
Figure 1. Evolution of the Heat Funds 2009-2022 This figure shows the main changes in the Heat Funds (French subsidies for sustainable heat production) specifications throughout the years. Each year, new production means are added to the list, and new criteria are set up to assess the sustainability of the production means.
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