Le Figaro Lyon
Allow residents to have green, local and cheap electricity. The Saône-Beaujolais Community of Communes (CCSB), which brings together 35 municipalities and 45,000 inhabitants at the northern end of the Rhône department, will create its own energy supply chain. "A local loop" called Bowatts, says its president Frédéric Pronchéry (LR), mayor of Belleville-en-Beaujolais. The community presented this Tuesday the terms of association with a Lyon start-up, My Energy manager, which provides it with an innovative device to control household consumption and also negotiates a preferential rate with a supplier. Before, in the long term, to have its own production.
"While for years energy production has been centralized, today there are a hundred producers," says Antony Parsons, Managing Director of My Energy Manager. Local authorities now have the opportunity to seize this subject to provide a service to their citizens." The one that will supply Beaujolais is called Alpiq. It is Swiss but established in France and guarantees, with a certificate of origin in support, a local supply, from the south-eastern quarter, and green, because it comes from the wind, solar or hydroelectric sectors. A purchase of 50 megawatt hours is planned, equivalent to the consumption of 18,000 inhabitants. All at a negotiated price. "The supplier being solid, he could make an effort on the price," says Antony Parsons. The contract is renewed every two years, which allows for competition. "Faced with a trend increase, this purchase also makes it possible to guarantee a fixed price level to the consumer," says Frédéric Pronchéry.
Photovoltaic fields
But the ultimate goal for the community is to become its own energy producer to give more substance to its brand. This will involve the massification of the photovoltaic park, with about fifty sites studied, ten of which are already launched, according to the president of the CCSB, which aims for 40 gigawatt hours produced in 2027. On the land side, there is no question of touching agricultural land. We are targeting polluted sites, old backfilled quarries or large roofs and car parks. In the meantime, why not floating fields and walls of photovoltaic panels along roads. "An envelope of 2.5 to 4 million euros is devoted to this investment by entering the capital of various companies within the framework of public-private partnership," explains Frédéric Pronchéry.
Another, of 100,000 euros, was necessary to launch the brand but especially to buy the sensors developed by My Energie manager. This is the card in the sleeve of this start-up that has developed a digital display compatible with Linky meters capable of giving an instant reading of the consumption of the household. It takes the form of a small square case of 10 centimeters side that displays simple graphs. "You can see immediately when you turn off a light bulb," says Thierry Serre, Director General of Services at the CCSB, who was able to test the device. More than a gadget, the tool is therefore pedagogue. It will be provided free of charge to subscribers of the new Bowatts brand as a premium product, and should allow them to save 10% to 20% on the bill. Nine million English homes are already equipped with it.
