Agence de la Transition Écologique (ADEME)

The ADEME Fonds Chaleur is a national funding mechanism created in 2009. It is part of France’s national policy to support renewable heat and recovered heat, financed through the State budget.

The Fonds Chaleur finances investments that produce or distribute renewable or recovered heat, including biomass boilers, solar thermal systems, geothermal heat production, heat networks, heat recovery from industrial processes or wastewater, and heat production from biogas. It also funds feasibility and technical studies.

The maximum funding that ADEME can provide ranges from 30% to 60% of investments in renewable energy.

Applying to the ADEME Fonds Chaleur requires preparing a feasibility or technical study when relevant, then submitting a complete application to the regional ADEME office with all technical, economic, and environmental documentation demonstrating the project’s renewable or recovered‑heat production. ADEME evaluates the project’s technical feasibility, economic relevance, and compliance with eligibility rules before issuing a grant agreement. Funding is paid only after verification that the project has been implemented as approved.