Energy concept: To allow the tenants in social housing to have access to renewable solar energy by the creation of an energy community gathering Pas-de-Calais habitat and them in a collective self-consumption operation powering hall entrances of the building and apartments via small PV stations on the roofs.

Stakeholders involved:

• Pas-de-Calais habitat buys the PV stations, organises the energy community.
• The tenants adapt their energy use to make the most of the solar production and reduce their energy bill.
• Enedis (DSO) guarantees the division of the solar production between the members of the community.

Technical: PV panels installed on roofs in order to have the widest possible production range. These panels are divided in small stations of 6kVa powering close apartments. They are linked to the existing electric grid. The production is virtually divided between the consumers in a 1km radius.

Economical: Pas-de-Calais habitat invests in favour of the rise of the tenants’ quality of life, in a context of rise of energy poverty and assumes its role of social support of the residents in a tough economic context. Pas-de-Calais does not sell the energy to the tenants. The gain related to the division of the solar production is directly attributed to the tenants on their energy bill by their energy supplier.

Tresholds to overcome:

• Financial: to optimise the large-scale investment of small PV stations
• Technique: to make the data exchange between the DSO and the balance responsible entity (mandatory in a collective self-consumption operation) to reduce the costs of these data processing.

Potential and expected results: 

• 5000m² of solar PV
• 180 small PV stations on roofs of collective buildings
• 1 MWp
• 2000 apartments powered

Timing and next steps:

• Late 2021 : selection of the company for installation of PV stations
• First semester 2022 : installation works of PV stations

Contact person: 

• Daniela Galarza-Rios, daniela.galarza-rios@pasdecalais-habitat.fr