"In Bordeaux, we have neither gas, nor oil, nor wood, the only energy that we are able to produce is solar electricity", sums up Laurent Guillemin.
Perched on the green roof of the Albert-Thomas school, the deputy mayor responsible for the sobriety of resources inaugurated on Tuesday the first "self-consumption agreement" between two public buildings in the Gironde capital, a scenario that is still very uncommon in France.
“Until now, the 200,000 kWh, produced each year by the 1,400 m2 of solar panels installed on the roof of the school, were sold around 4 euros per kWh to Enedis and, on its bill, the school paid 8 euros the kWh.
We might as well consume our own kWh and save money, ”continues the ecologist assistant.
Since January, 15% of electricity production has been consumed by the school and nearly 85% by the Mériadeck library, the largest in the city, located two kilometers away.
The city hopes to produce 25% of municipal needs
“Their needs were complementary because the library is open on Saturdays and runs an air conditioner in the summer,” we explain.
Surplus electricity is "donated", via Enercoop, to an association fighting against fuel poverty.
A more administrative than technical construction, “we did not pull a cable between the two buildings” specifies Éric Van der Vliet, director of Enedis in Bordeaux Métropole.
Read alsoSolar energy: lightweight and removable panel kits to install yourself
The city is already planning new installations of photovoltaic panels and other agreements, in particular with schools, which represent a quarter of municipal buildings.
A “symbolic, visual choice, to make pupils and parents aware of the energy transition” emphasizes Sylvie Schmitt, education assistant.
The community of Bordeaux, which currently only produces 1% of its electricity needs, is aiming for 25% self-consumption.