Renewable Heating & Cooling: A Strategic Challenge for France's Energy Transition

In a context of accelerated decarbonization and the implementation of the new Multi-Year Energy Plan (PPE), the National Day of Renewable Heating and Cooling returns for a new edition on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at Espaces Diderot (Paris 12th). Organized by AMORCE, FEDENE, and the Renewable Energy Association (SER), this 2026 edition will focus on 'A New Perspective on Renewable Heating and Cooling.' Through roundtables, presentations, and innovation keynotes, this day will provide an update on the sector, share feedback from experience, and identify acceleration levers.

At VoltWatt, we see this event as a crucial milestone for the thermal energy transition. While electricity decarbonization captures most of the public attention, heat remains the largest source of final energy consumption in France — and the most dependent on fossil fuels. Here is our analysis of the challenges ahead and the solutions already available.

Decarbonizing Heat: An Urgent Priority

Heat accounts for nearly half of all energy consumed in France, yet it remains largely produced from imported fossil fuels — primarily natural gas and fuel oil. This dependency creates a triple vulnerability: economic (volatile prices), environmental (high carbon emissions), and geopolitical (import dependence). The urgency to transition to renewable heat sources has never been greater.

France has set ambitious targets through its PPE and National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), aiming to increase the share of renewable heat from 25% today to over 40% by 2035. Achieving this requires a massive deployment of proven technologies across three key vectors:

Renewable Cooling: The Coming Challenge

While heating dominates current energy debates, the development of renewable cooling is becoming imperative to meet growing needs for building cooling in a context of climate disruption. Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer — the 2023 and 2025 summers demonstrated this dramatically across Europe.

Traditional air conditioning systems based on refrigerant gases and fossil-fuel electricity are energy-intensive and often worsen the urban heat island effect. The cooling demand in French buildings is projected to triple by 2050, making sustainable alternatives essential.

The transition to renewable cooling is not optional — it is a public health imperative. Every degree of warming increases cooling energy demand by 5-8%, creating a vicious cycle that only renewable solutions can break.

Solutions are already available: solar-assisted absorption cooling, free cooling from geothermal sources, district cooling networks, and thermal storage systems that shift cooling loads to off-peak hours. VoltWatt is actively developing solar-powered cooling systems that leverage our photovoltaic expertise to drive high-efficiency heat pumps during peak demand periods.

The PPE 2024-2035: An Ambitious Roadmap

The new Multi-Year Energy Plan (PPE 2024-2035) sets an ambitious trajectory for renewable heat deployment, recognizing that electricity alone cannot achieve France's climate targets. The plan includes specific objectives for each renewable heat technology, backed by reinforced support mechanisms.

These targets, while ambitious, are achievable with strong coordination between public policy, industry investment, and technological innovation. The March 31 event provides an essential forum for aligning all stakeholders around this shared roadmap.

The March 31 Event: A New Perspective

The 2026 edition of the National Day of Renewable Heating and Cooling, themed 'A New Perspective on Renewable Heating and Cooling,' will gather over 500 professionals, policymakers, and technology providers at Espaces Diderot in Paris's 12th arrondissement. The event is organized by three leading French energy organizations: AMORCE, FEDENE, and the Renewable Energy Association (SER).

VoltWatt will be represented at this event, sharing our experience in integrating solar photovoltaic production with thermal storage solutions. We believe that the convergence of electricity and heat — through technologies like solar-powered heat pumps, battery-thermal hybrid storage, and smart energy management — is the key to affordable, reliable decarbonization.

VoltWatt's Commitment to Thermal Decarbonization

At VoltWatt, we have long understood that the energy transition cannot succeed by focusing on electricity alone. Our portfolio of 150+ renewable energy projects across 4+ countries increasingly integrates thermal dimensions, combining our core expertise in solar PV and energy storage with innovative thermal solutions.

With 2.1 GW of total capacity and a team of 150+ experts across France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, VoltWatt is uniquely positioned to deliver integrated energy solutions that address both the electrical and thermal dimensions of decarbonization.

Conclusion: Heat, the Forgotten Half of the Energy Transition

The decarbonization of heating and cooling represents perhaps the most underestimated challenge of the energy transition. While solar panels and wind turbines capture headlines, the quiet revolution in thermal energy holds the key to achieving France's — and Europe's — climate targets.

The National Day of Renewable Heating and Cooling on March 31 provides a vital opportunity to refocus attention on this critical sector. With the PPE 2024-2035 providing clear targets, the Fonds Chaleur delivering financial support, and technologies like solar thermal, heat pumps, and thermal storage reaching maturity, the conditions for acceleration are finally aligned.

At VoltWatt, we are committed to being at the forefront of this thermal transition, bringing the same innovation, rigor, and scale that has made us a leader in renewable electricity to the world of sustainable heating and cooling. The future of energy is not just electric — it is thermal too.