Citizens participate in the energy transition

France has experienced a major expansion of renewable energies in recent years. The acceptance of the population also plays an important role in this process. Only if energy technologies like wind and solar power are accepted, the expansion will continue. Citizens can participate in solar plants and thus secure a return on investment. A win-win situation and a model with future, in which Axpo plays an important role. 

France has put its foot on the accelerator on the expansion of renewable energies for some time now. By 2030, France wants to cover 40% of its own energy needs with renewable energies. These targets are ambitious and will only work if all players play their part. The acceptance of solar plants and wind farms is ensured by participatory financing possibilities among the population.

Axpo’s French subsidiary and photovoltaic expert Urbasolar put together tailor-made financing initiatives to allow local actors to optimize their share of the economic benefits of solar energy projects while taking part in the energy transition. This means that the local population can directly invest in renewable energy sources through participatory fund-raising campaigns. With this type of financing there is something in it for both sides: the developer can invest the money again in other renewable projects and the citizen receives an annual return on his investment.

7.5 million for financing new renewable projects

This model has proved extremely successful for Axpo: The subsidiary Urbasolar was able to raise 7.5 million euros in 2021 in France through over 25 citizen funding. These funds contribute to the financing of various types of photovoltaic systems: ground-based power stations, parking shades, buildings and greenhouses.

Several projects have so far been successfully financed with the help of participatory or crowdfunding: One is in the city of Toulouse, where Urbasolar built a freestanding solar park on the site of a former factory destroyed by an explosion in the year 2001. Another one was the first floating solar plant, atop an artificial lake in an old gravel pit in Peyssies, Toulouse. The latter generates an output of 5 Megawatt peak and around 6 Gigawatt hours of electricity a year.

Participatory financing leads to acceptance

For the local population, participatory funding means that they can invest in such sustainable projects – such as a solar energy plant – and get a return in form of an interest rate for their stake. Urbasolar conducts these campaigns as locally as possible, aiming especially at those living in proximity to the photovoltaics stations and employees working at those sites. The goal is to facilitate ownership of the projects by the various local populations. 

A model also for Switzerland?

Axpo endeavored a similar project in Switzerland; it recently launched an employee involvement program where staff can invest in solar roof built on top of the Campus Baden. Thereby, Axpo employees can yield an annual interest rate while taking part in the clean energy transition. The employee participation was five times oversubscribed and was therefore a great success. The campaign shows that such projects would also have a promising future prospect in Switzerland.