Practice areas | Providing advice and support in energy law, particularly in the field of electrical infrastructure

Providing advice and support in energy law, particularly in the field of electrical infrastructure

Energy is one of the most important issue of our time.

The depletion of the most widespread energy sources, particularly fossil fuels, and the ecological footprint of our activities on the environment tend to change our consumption habits.

Environmental protection and sustainable development are nowadays imperative objectives in people's minds. Their achievement implies an energy transition that is reflected notably in the control of energy consumption, boosting energy efficiency and the development of renewable energies.
In this context, the production of electricity from renewable energy sources is a major issue. Technological advances have given us access to five main types of renewable energy: wind, hydro, biomass and waste, geothermal and solar.

While the exploitation of the first four renewable energy sources is beyond the reach of individuals due to the infrastructure and major investments required for efficient exploitation, solar energy is a renewable energy source that has become widely available. The efficiency and reliability of photovoltaic installations continues to increase while their cost decreases.

It is in this context that "self-consumers’ communities" or "self-consumption communities" appeared only a few years ago. The principle is relatively simple: the photovoltaic installation installed on a dwelling is jointly owned and operated by its inhabitants, who form communities of self-consumers. Community members consume the electricity produced by their photovoltaic installation or sell it, depending on their needs.
Since 1 January 2018, these communities, now called "Regroupements dans le cadre de la consommation propre" (RCP) or Private consumption community, have been clearly regulated by the Federal Energy Act.

The implementation of a grouping within the framework of private consumption (RCP) is complex. The pooling and centralised management of electricity production and storage; the sale of surplus production and the purchase of energy in the event of peak consumption must be based on clear and precise contractual tools.

Watt law supports and advises you at every step.