The French Agence de l'Environment et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie (ADEME) has signed a Co-operative Agreement with Electricité de France (EdF) the state owned National Utility, for electricity production in remote areas of France

One of the agreement goals is to provide electrification from autonomous generators, photovoltaic or wind, for people living in areas not connected to the grid, where this solutions costs the community less than providing a grid extension line. The agencies will provide a financial contribution (ADEME » 10%, EdF » 15%). Users are expected to provide around 10% of the installation cost and the major part (65%) will be provided by the 'FACE' fund. The FACE is a public fund created from charges to consumers and used up to the present to finance grid extension in rural areas. At the local level, an Electrification Syndicate mainly composed of mayors of a group of villages manages the FACE funds. The new ADEME-EdF Agreement allows the use of FACE funds for electricity production by renewable sources of energy. The Electrification Syndicate takes responsibility for appointing the contractor for the installation. After commissioning, the system is handed over to the EdF, which guarantees its operation, provides maintenance, and collects payments from users.

This Agreement has been reached following several years of development of autonomous PV generators promoted by ADEME and its partners. Even now 15 000 families use this source of electricity daily. Now, taking into account the experience gained, the industry is capable of providing users with a system performance guarantee and has agreed on a charter of quality.

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