Energy and environmental transition: warehouses take the lead

How will France succeed in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 ? In part through renewable energy… provided that its production is accelerated. A specific law was passed in early 2023 to that end. “This legislation ensures that elected officials are in control, so that they can decide, in coordination with intermunicipal authorities and prefects, which energy sources will be developed in particular,” explains Didier Mandelli, Senator for Vendée and rapporteur for the bill in the Senate.

“We are at a point where wind and solar are the only means of accelerating electrification; there will be no new major hydroelectric dams or new nuclear reactors in the next ten years,” notes Xavier Piechaczyk, Chairman of the Executive Board of Réseau de transport d’électricité (RTE), in an interview with Le Monde. Didier Mandelli adds : “The initial version of the bill to accelerate energy production was very clearly focused on offshore wind power, but the Senate added provisions to address other renewable energy sources, starting with solar power, based on a very clear principle: priority must be given to built or existing surfaces for developing new renewable energy production projects, rather than developing agricultural or natural land.”

This is reflected in stricter requirements. For new or extensively renovated non-residential buildings (warehouses, hospitals, schools, etc.), the minimum proportion of roofs covered with solar panels will gradually increase from 30% in 2023 to 50% in 2027. This requirement will be extended to existing non-residential buildings as early as 2028. “Businesses have an essential role to play alongside individuals and the public sector, adds the Senator for Vendée. The requirement to cover 50% of a roof by 2027 is a minimum for building-sector stakeholders. If they can go further, they must do so.” An approach embraced by AFILOG members.

“We are committed to using the large impermeable surfaces at our disposal to install photovoltaic power plants, says Vincent Kirklar, head of AFILOG’s Energy Committee and Real Estate Director of the STEF Group. We want to do so proactively, going beyond legal requirements. ” This movement has been underway since 2021 with the signing of a charter of mutual commitments with the French State (a voluntary target of reaching 50%) and its acceleration was confirmed in June 2023.

In practical terms, AFILOG members have conducted an initial collective survey of their photovoltaic power plant installation projects: over the next five years, they will deploy 5 million square meters of photovoltaic panels on warehouse roofs throughout France—in Nîmes, Agen, Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, L’Isle-d’Abeau, and elsewhere. These new installations will represent a peak capacity of 1.2 gigawatts. At peak output, they will match the capacity of a nuclear power plant and cover the equivalent of the annual consumption of 600,000 residents.

Above all, this mobilization will account for a significant share of the national effort that the government is preparing as part of the French Energy and Climate Strategy. The working groups launched by the Ministry for Energy Transition have recommended doubling the pace of photovoltaic power plant installations in France (to 5.5 GW/year) by making greater use of “large roofs” (25% of the total). The mobilization of AFILOG members could therefore account for nearly 5% of the national installed-capacity target.  And their action does not stop there. AFILOG is closely examining demand response as another way to contribute to the collective effort.

“Beyond going further than what the law will require of us in terms of building photovoltaic power plants, we want to establish ecosystems to develop collective self-consumption and support sustainable mobility,” explains Vincent Kirklar. The sustainable energy produced locally by warehouses must therefore be able to supply nearby local authorities, businesses, industries, shops, and residents that cannot generate all the energy they need themselves. It will also be intended to supply multi-energy stations where vehicles of all kinds can refuel.

However, obstacles still need to be removed to achieve these goals. AFILOG has launched three working groups for this purpose. One focuses on the financial aspect : “We are identifying and highlighting existing levers to solve the economic equation. At the same time, we are exploring those that would need to be changed in the longer term, such as the tariff for using local energy transmission networks, resale prices, energy taxation, and so on.” Vincent Kirklar explains. Another workshop focuses on regulatory issues. Within this framework, participating association members are seeking solutions to facilitate local energy resale between photovoltaic energy producers and end users, and to provide greater flexibility in the amounts of energy fed back into the grid.  

Lastly, the third workshop addresses technical aspects with several priorities : making better use of roof load-bearing capacity and revising the criteria for roof insulation and waterproofing materials, both in terms of building damage insurance and fire safety. “If solutions emerge from this workshop, we could leverage all or part of the ‘climate’ war chest of AFILOG members : we have more than 80 million sq. m. of roof space just waiting to contribute to decarbonizing our energy mix, concludes Vincent Kirklar. Assuming we find solutions for even just 10% of existing roofs, we could more than double our contribution to the ambitions of the ecological planning law! ” This would strengthen the key role that logistics and industrial real estate will play in France’s environmental transition.