France/Malmerspach - A village power plant to produce green, local electricity
In Malmerspach, citizens and elected representatives have joined forces to produce local solar energy. Their objective: to gain autonomy in the face of rising electricity prices. The region's first village power plant is now looking for customers among local businesses.
Produce sustainable energy locally, for local consumption, and gain in autonomy. That, in a nutshell, is the DNA of the solar village power plant project that has come into being in Malmerspach. The story begins in 2022, when electricity and gas prices were skyrocketing. A number of elected representatives from the Thann-Cernay community of communes wanted to set up a project to produce energy independently.
Citizens committed to fighting energy dependency
A citizens' collective was formed under the name ofAssociation pour les centrales villageoises Thur et Doller (ACVTD). Most of them are already committed activists, and intend to contribute to the resilience of the region so that it is not 100% dependent on energy from elsewhere.
I defend the idea that local councillors shouldn't consider the population of their commune as mere inhabitants, but as citizens who can take part in the debate.
Juliette Hubert
The association, chaired by Juliette Hubert, is based on the model of village power plants, which have been tried out in Saverne and Lapoutroie. "I defend the idea that local councillors should not consider the population of their commune as mere inhabitants, but as citizens who can participate in the debate", says Juliette Hubert.
A point of view shared by Nicolas Morvan, municipal councillor in charge of participative democracy in Thann and ACVTD communications officer. In 2024, a société par actions simplifiée (simplified joint-stock company) was created, to which 28 partners contributed funds. The share amounts to €100, and to date €27,200 has been raised. The project, which requires an investment of €115,000, will also be supported by subsidies and a bank loan. We're not doing this to make money," explains Nicolas Morvan. Above all, we want to contribute to the local energy transition. If there is a profit, it will be reinvested in other projects.
Two hundred and ten photovoltaic panels on a roof
What will the money be used for? To buy and install 210 solar panels on the roof of the Krempel & Pric recycling center in prac. The association had sent a letter presenting the solar power plant project to the local town halls. The Communauté de Communes de la Vallée de Saint-Amarin (CCVSA) proposed the roof of this recently refurbished building, in particular with a view to installing photovoltaic panels. "The site met all our criteria in terms of size, sunlight and orientation," explains Nicolas Morvan. The association financed a structural study with the help of the Climaxion program, which validated the feasibility of the project. Now it needs to be sized.
A call to local companies
To this end, we are calling on local businesses. For the time being, the energy produced will not be used to supply homes or local authorities. Nor is it intended for resale to EDF, as the price at which electricity is bought back is so low that the project would not be profitable. The customers are therefore local craftsmen, shops and businesses.
Because there is a distance constraint. The two most distant customers must be no more than 10 km apart as the crow flies. The plant's output will be fed into the EDF grid, and consumers will receive a virtual share. They will not be able to receive only this local green energy, as production will vary according to the weather and the time of day. This approach can also be integrated into their Corporate Social Responsibility policy. "We're thinking of starting with two hundred and ten panels, but if there's more demand, we'll be able to add more," confirms Nicolas Morvan. Once installed, the plant should produce 115,000 kWh per year.
A meeting to present the project to businesses will be held on Monday November 3, at 1 p.m. by videoconference and at 7 p.m. in person at the CCVSA headquarters or by videoconference. Individual meetings at other times will be possible.
Foundation stone
We're in for twenty years with this project," hopes Juliette Hubert, "and those who sign up with us will know exactly what it will cost, including the evolution index."This first stone in the edifice of clean, local energy production is intended to lead to others. Through the Pôle d'Équilibre Territoriale et Rural du Pays Thur Doller, the project was presented to the climate coordinators of the communes. Several of them have signed up. "We hope that they will be encouraged to think about new projects," concludes Juliette Hubert.
Source: www.lalsace.fr/
