Autoconsommation collective – a social housing energy community in Alès

Description

In the city of Alès in the south of France, the social housing provider Logis Cévenols has established a pioneering energy community. This is thanks to over 600m2 of solar panels, which in turn provide heat and electricity to over 100 social housing units. The project also uses an innovated water heating system, allowing ‘excess’ electricity to be used productively on site and meet the hot water needs of residents in an environmentally sustainable way. As in may energy community projects, energy monitoring is also an important part of the project. The social tenants can monitor their electricity consumption thanks to a digital display, which in turn will advise them on the best times to use electricity and also make them aware of their current consumption.

The project cost around €200,000 to implement, and was made possible thanks to a 40% grant from the Occitane regional authority, in which Alès is located.

The project has delivered meaningful savings for the social tenants in the building, estimate to be of the order of several hundred euro per household per year.

Actors involved

• Logis Cévenols
• EDF
• The City of Alès
• The Occitane Region

Scale

local

More information

• 100 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels were installed, or over 600m2
• over 100 homes connected to the shared electricity network
• 3 main objectives were set out in 2018:
  • at least €100 utility bill saving per household per year
  • almost 100% of energy produced consumed directly on site
  • meet at least 20% of the overall energy needs of the residents