French grid operator Enedis has identified 187 energy communities in France, as of the end of March. The communities bring together 2,200 consumers and more than 300 producers, generating 11 MW total power capacity, mainly from solar.
From pv magazine France
New statistics from grid operator Enedis reveal that energy communities are rapidly developing in France. Enedis says that their number increased from only six in 2018 to at the end of March 2023 – a figure that has doubled in the last 12 months.
More than 2,200 consumers and more than 300 producers are now integrated into local electricity production representing a total power of 11 MW, largely of photovoltaic origin. The local authorities account for more than 100 of these communities.
Enedis provided the new numbers when French Minister for the Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher participated in the commissioning ceremony of the Partag’élec energy community in Surzur, a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany, in northwestern France.
“I welcome the deployment of energy communities, which was made possible thanks to our support measures,” she stated. “This is an excellent lever for achieving our climate objectives while allowing consumers to have access to competitive electricity.”
The Partag’élec community, in operation since November, is one of 22 energy communities in Brittany, which is one of the most dynamic regions in this booming field. Led by Morbihan Energies, this community is connected to the public electricity distribution network managed by Enedis and is based on the Linky meter counting system, which certifies flows between producers and consumers.
The Partag’élec operation brings together 130 consumers, including 18 buildings in the municipality of Surzur, 107 individuals and 5 professionals. Together, they share electricity from a solar power plant made up of 680 photovoltaic panels with an electricity production capacity of 249 kW.
France introduced energy communities in March 2020, following a long pilot phase. The energy community concept brings together geographically close consumers and producers of PV energy into a single self-consumption unit.
Other European countries, including Italy, Spain and Portugal, have also introduced provisions to support the development of energy communities.
This post appeared first on PV Magazine.
