This project, led by Grand Belfort, the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard, Enedis, and TANDEM.IMMO, aims to create France’s first and largest renewable energy community (CER), with a photovoltaic generation capacity of 3.3 MWp, coupled with energy storage solutions based on batteries and green hydrogen. The building sector is the most energy-intensive economic sector in France. It accounts for 45% of energy consumption and contributes 25% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. France has set itself the goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reducing energy consumption in its commercial building stock by 40% by 2031 and up to 60% by 2051, under the so-called “tertiary” decree of the ELAN law. More specifically, Belfort e-TECH aims to create France’s first and largest renewable energy community (CER), with a photovoltaic generation capacity of 3.3 MWp, coupled with energy storage solutions based on batteries and green hydrogen.
The Belfort e-TECH project covers part of the Techn’Hom zone (35 hectares), located in the heart of the city of Belfort and serving as the industrial and economic hub of Greater Belfort. This urban hub draws its strength from the diverse range of activities it hosts: more than a hundred companies and engineering firms, two universities and their research laboratories, and community amenities (daycare centers, restaurants, gyms, etc.), bringing 7,000 employees and 1,500 students to the site every day.
Belfort e-TECH thus aims to make Techn’Hom a pilot site for sustainable cities, contributing to the four challenges identified in the call for expressions of interest (AMI) “Sustainable City Demonstrators”:
>First is energy efficiency, achieved through energy-efficient building renovations and the production of renewable energy, particularly solar power (for example: Building A at the UTBM’s Belfort campus, where construction began in January 2022 and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2023);
>Second, urban resilience, achieved through the adaptation of energy networks and infrastructure, as well as through local management of energy consumption peaks;
>It also involves social inclusion, by combating energy poverty through access to affordable energy—an issue of particular urgency today for students and residents of affordable housing;
> Finally, it involves urban productivity, notably through the optimization of available land to produce renewable energy locally.
To address these four challenges effectively and coherently, the Belfort e-TECH project—in alignment with its region—brings together a comprehensive ecosystem of local stakeholders, including industry players (ranging from startups to major corporations), academics, and institutional partners, all capable of sharing a common vision for the region’s economic future.
This consortium already has a track record of successful collaborative efforts. Indeed, Belfort e-TECH builds on the “Smart Territoire” project, an initiative under the “Transformation of an Industrial Region” project in Northern Franche-Comté, which was selected in the “Territoire d’innovation” call for proposals (Investment for the Future program). Thus, through an initial study phase, the teams from UTBM and ENEDIS involved in the project modeled the scope of the pilot and validated the feasibility of the Belfort e-TECH project’s development plan. Download the press kit