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More and more French people are thinking and investing together to produce green energies. In some towns, residents finance solar panels or the purchase of a wood-fired boiler.
The village of Saint-Julien-en-Quint, in Drôme, has launched its small energy revolution. The inhabitants financed 160 square meters of photovoltaic panels, with which they supply 38 homes. The idea is simple: get together to invest in the production of green and local energy. “We have no increase, no speculation on the electricity market. (…) So the price per KWh will remain constant”, explains Alain Bucas, co-founder of the Collective Association for Green Energy Production. The installation cost 40,000 euros, of which 10% was financed by the inhabitants, the rest by loans and subsidies. The municipal association installs the panels, then resells the energy to the member-shareholders at an advantageous price.
Also in the Drôme, Sainte-Croix and six other villages in the valley are embarking on the adventure. Equipped with photovoltaic panels, the former monastery of Sainte-Croix will produce much more than it consumes. Citizen energy is also developing in the city.
On the outskirts of Grenoble, in Varces-Allières-et-Risset (Isère), 400 residents have invested 50,000 euros in two wood-fired boilers. Thanks to their contribution, the town hall, which has become a shareholder, has found additional funding. The boiler room cost 1 million euros in total. “It is the citizen structure, which is the pilot of all this, which has invested, which has built and which manages over 20 years”, explains Eddie Chinal, Head of ForestEner – Citizen Energy. The wood comes from waste from local sawmills, which have created jobs for this activity. Drawing on their experience, these civic structures offer their help everywhere in France.