Welcomed by Luc Rémont, the CEO of the EDF group with whom she signed a cooperation agreement, Valérie Pécresse discovered part of the discreet EDF Lab des Renardières site.
This extraordinary 85 hectare place, equipped with experimental structures and laboratories, each more impressive than the last, tests, almost on a life-size basis, the solutions for our homes and transport of tomorrow.
EDF has the ultimate in energy innovations here, in Écuelles near Fontainebleau.
The visit began at the Concept Grid, an experimental platform aimed in particular at testing various charging powers for electric vehicles.
The route continued at the foot of Vercors, a 30 m high concrete building, a scale model of a nuclear reactor enclosure.
The LR president of the region did not fail to reiterate her desire to align strategic objectives with France's leading electrician, in all energy areas.
“We want Île-de-France to secure its place as the leading economic region in Europe in the energy transition,” she insisted.
A decarbonization fund to help SMEs
The two main sources of carbon emissions in the region are transport and residential, that is to say energy consumption in structures such as housing or businesses.
This is why Valérie Pécresse wants to develop electric public transport but also the production of hydrogen vehicles.
“We want smarter buildings.
We want to both become producers and sober, innovate to consume less, and take a very proactive approach to the industrialization of new energies like hydrogen,” she confided.
New major challenges for the president of Île-de-France Mobilités (authority which finances and organizes transport in Île-de-France), who has no doubt about the future of this fuel.
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For the residential sector, the objective would be to decarbonize heat, particularly in businesses.
To do this, the regional elected official created a decarbonization fund “to help SMEs in Île-de-France to finance equipment that consumes less energy”.
This fund should amount to 150 million euros and could reach up to 200 million.
It specifically concerns fast-growing SMEs with a turnover of between 2 and 10 million euros.
A photovoltaic power plant will also be created on a portion of the former Porcheville thermal power plant in Yvelines.
It will be financed 20% by the region, or 1.3 million euros for a total investment cost of 6.6 million euros.
The memorandum of understanding was also signed on Friday at the Renardières center.
300,000 new professionals trained within ten years
This is also where full-scale scenarios exploit energy consumption devices in “show houses” for example.
In short, from household appliances to cars, everything is done to simulate and test what consumes the least energy.
Something to interest the president who is aiming for carbon neutrality for Île-de-France by 2050 as part of the National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC).
A fervent supporter of nuclear power, Valérie Pécresse aims through this partnership to develop in parallel a new reactor at the Nogent-sur-Seine power plant, located in Aube, a few kilometers from Provins, and therefore from Île-de-France. .
Finally and above all, the two entities wish to invest in a Campus of excellence for sustainable energy professions and qualifications whose inauguration will take place this year, with the aim of creating training, from bac pro to bac + 8, in the sectors nuclear, renewable energies, networks and energy services in the Ile-de-France region.
A significant challenge since the president hopes to train 300,000 new professionals within ten years.
“It is the most populated region and, for us, the population is talent,” she concluded.