Good practice:

A crowdfunding and citizen-focused renewable energy project

A citizen-focused project launched via the social enterprise Plaine Sud Energies to create 3 solar power sites on the roofs of schools in 3 municipalities. Objectives:
-Involve citizens and communities legally and financially
-Harness some of the economic benefits of the project for the local area
-Residents taking ownership of energy production
-Raising awareness regarding ecological transition
Funds were collected from local citizens, local authorities (municipalities/intercommunality/Region), local companies and associations, Energie Partagée (French network of associations with citizens and institutions to implement citizen-focused projects).
ARDES (Association Régionale pour le Développement de l’Economie Solidaire), proposed and supported the implementation of the project: mobilizing local players, creating the cooperative, communication, financial assistance. The Nef cooperative bank granted the cooperative a 15-year bank loan for each facility.
The Region is involved as funder. Municipalities own shares of the cooperative, are part of the local animation and own the buildings on which solar panels are installed. They gave the administrative authorization for the project.
When used as a site for solar panels, schools can provide educational support for parents and children (digital signage with real-time production of electricity). Significant consultation before the project (eg. citizens undergoing legal and financial training to ensure proper management).

- Total budget: €224.000
- Social enterprise Plaine Sud Energie: 6,4%
- Subsidies and grants: 9.6%
- Energie Partagée Investissement: 21,3%
- Bank loan: 62,7%
- Significant voluntary work, but not quantified
- Need for considerable support (provided by ARDES for this project)

The company is in profit; profits are being reinvested in new renewable energy projects. Various campaigns to raise awareness about the solar panel installations have been organised. Many people have been inspired, have visited the sites and met the team behind the project. Since 2012, the Plaine Sud Energies project has been a model across Normandy in terms of crowdfunded and citizen-focused RE projects. The citizens are involved in the governance of the company meaning greater transparency.

- Significant need for legal and financial training
- Considerable requirements in terms of communication for effective mobilisation of citizens
- Time needed to set up the project could be problematic; in this case, it was mainly done by volunteers

With more than 100 projects in operation in France in 2019 and more than 200 currently being developed, this model is widely replicable, although the implementation can vary radically from one project to another. It is easily replicable for solar energy and wind energy, biomass, anaerobic digestion, hydroelectric energy, etc.
Furthermore, this kind of project has many interests for a local authority who would like to implement it :
- It is a good way to inform and educate inhabitants on renewable energy
- It is an excellent opportunity to involve citizens in the local energetic transition
- It can also be a way for the local authority to realise projects with less of its own budget / or be able to do more projects with the amount of a lonely funded project, depending on its possibilities
- This kind of project gives incomes to the social enterprise which are reinvested in new projects, creating a local virtuous circle which will also contribute to the awareness raising of citizen