CAEN - Renewable energy sources or obstacles to cleaning up rivers?Windmills and small hydro are the subject of much debate, as new standards to protect streams increases production costs.
"We are asked 88,000 euros of investment to a figure of 22,000 euros for us to retrofit in 2012. This will lead us to stop production," says Etienne Gilbert, co-owner of the micro-Central Brouains in the English Channel.
"Unfortunately, not all small farmers are in the same situation," he laments.Determined to defend what he sees as "a resource of the future", he invited the public to visit the Central Saturday for National Days mills.A "call of June 18" according to the employee of a major bank.
A few kilometers from Brouains, the company Guérin Tessy-sur-Vire operates on four micro-Vire.But a recent prefectural requires it to run four months a year instead of eight pending upgrading.
"We are ready to invest, but we need time. Companies must be able to navigate financially," said Christophe Marion, director of business development.
"This is the cheapest renewable energy. Let us not waste the potential of France," argues Anne Penalba, president of France hydroelectricity, calling for a reasonable application of the European directive requiring the return to water quality before 2015.
France is one of the most European countries have in "small hydro".It has micro 1700, including 200 to 300 belong to EDF.Production represents the equivalent of two nuclear reactors, according to Anne Penalba.
The Federation of mills in France for its part lists 30,000 mills and ensure that homeowners are more likely to want to produce electricity for their own consumption.
An agreement in June 2009 driven by the Department of Energy also argues for "development" of hydropower "consistent with the restoration of the environment" water.
But the France Nature Environnement (FNE), dams and ecology are mutually exclusive.
According to FNE, dams, mills and micro prevent fish migration and alter the height of the water, smothering vegetation and reducing agricultural pollutants.They also disrupt the "spawning grounds" where fish breed.
"On the Vire, with seven stations on a few tens of kilometers, 200 salmon were dating, then we should have 2,000. It is an indicator of pollution", denounced Christian Channel Allain of nature, a member of FNE .
The "ecological crime" is not worth the candle energy, according to this critic of "lobbying of hydro-electrical".
"Downstream of the Vire, the seven micro, particularly poor, have an installed capacity of 1.3 megawatts in total.'s 2.5 megawatt wind turbines," said he.
The Grenelle Environment Forum had set a target of reducing the number of dams in France, while the country has one book every four to five kilometers of waterways, according to Bernard Rousseau, Director of FNE.
A Bretteville-sur-width, near Caen, Jean Morin, 80, does not understand what is to blame mills.The retired plumber said electrical heating for 20 years the house and pool with his mill.
He said "it is with the arrival of the fertilizer, after the war, the number of fish has declined, not because of the mills.""We had 14 on 10 km past, there are almost two times less" now, he says.
"We are asked 88,000 euros of investment to a figure of 22,000 euros for us to retrofit in 2012. This will lead us to stop production," says Etienne Gilbert, co-owner of the micro-Central Brouains in the English Channel.
"Unfortunately, not all small farmers are in the same situation," he laments.Determined to defend what he sees as "a resource of the future", he invited the public to visit the Central Saturday for National Days mills.A "call of June 18" according to the employee of a major bank.
A few kilometers from Brouains, the company Guérin Tessy-sur-Vire operates on four micro-Vire.But a recent prefectural requires it to run four months a year instead of eight pending upgrading.
"We are ready to invest, but we need time. Companies must be able to navigate financially," said Christophe Marion, director of business development.
"This is the cheapest renewable energy. Let us not waste the potential of France," argues Anne Penalba, president of France hydroelectricity, calling for a reasonable application of the European directive requiring the return to water quality before 2015.
France is one of the most European countries have in "small hydro".It has micro 1700, including 200 to 300 belong to EDF.Production represents the equivalent of two nuclear reactors, according to Anne Penalba.
The Federation of mills in France for its part lists 30,000 mills and ensure that homeowners are more likely to want to produce electricity for their own consumption.
An agreement in June 2009 driven by the Department of Energy also argues for "development" of hydropower "consistent with the restoration of the environment" water.
But the France Nature Environnement (FNE), dams and ecology are mutually exclusive.
According to FNE, dams, mills and micro prevent fish migration and alter the height of the water, smothering vegetation and reducing agricultural pollutants.They also disrupt the "spawning grounds" where fish breed.
"On the Vire, with seven stations on a few tens of kilometers, 200 salmon were dating, then we should have 2,000. It is an indicator of pollution", denounced Christian Channel Allain of nature, a member of FNE .
The "ecological crime" is not worth the candle energy, according to this critic of "lobbying of hydro-electrical".
"Downstream of the Vire, the seven micro, particularly poor, have an installed capacity of 1.3 megawatts in total.'s 2.5 megawatt wind turbines," said he.
The Grenelle Environment Forum had set a target of reducing the number of dams in France, while the country has one book every four to five kilometers of waterways, according to Bernard Rousseau, Director of FNE.
A Bretteville-sur-width, near Caen, Jean Morin, 80, does not understand what is to blame mills.The retired plumber said electrical heating for 20 years the house and pool with his mill.
He said "it is with the arrival of the fertilizer, after the war, the number of fish has declined, not because of the mills.""We had 14 on 10 km past, there are almost two times less" now, he says.
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