Why is there no wind rush in France?

Abstract

In France, an ambitious programme to expand electricity from renewables was outlined in the year 2000 Electricity Bill and led to the establishment of a feed-in tariff guaranteeing kilowatt hour prices to targeted suppliers. Because this support mechanism was a major cause of the dramatic expansion of wind power in Denmark, Germany and Spain, it was expected to have similar consequences in France. However, the pace of expansion proved moderate over 2000–5, with some acceleration since. This article explains these outcomes by reference to three factors: (1) the influence of institutional frameworks, (2) the impact of industry structures and (3) the role of mobilising discourses. Finally, it surveys policy reforms in 2005–7 to accelerate deployment. Noting that France's 2010 target of 21% of electricity generation from renewables is unlikely to be met, the article concludes that policy makers need to look beyond the mere choice of policy instrument (such as a feed-in tariff). Its main finding is that the impact of a policy instrument is heavily influenced not just by its settings (in this context, the level of economic incentive offered to market actors) but also by the institutional and industrial contexts of usage and by the relevance of mobilising discourses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.