Panels, generally installed on the roof, which produce electricity, this is the principle of photovoltaic solar panels, which are attracting more and more individuals. The electricity produced can then be used for housing needs, or sold to EDF. Third possibility, the most classic at home: consume part of it and sell the excess.
“The success of photovoltaic installations is undeniable, we can even speak of a tsunami of demands, and the sector sometimes has difficulty coping”, estimates Mathias Laffont, director of economy, mobility and construction at the French Electricity Union. At the end of September 2022, Enedis, which manages the electricity network, recorded nearly 600,000 photovoltaic installations all powers combined, compared to 500,000 in June 2021. Nearly 200,000 customers, connected to the public network, consumed all or part of their production. A figure that is rising very sharply: there were just over 100,000 at the end of March 2021… and 3,000 in 2015.
If Enedis does not distinguish the installations of individuals from those of professionals, the company indicates that self-consumers are essentially customers equipped with installations with a power of less than 36 kilovolt-amperes (kVA), reserved for individuals and small professionals.
The technology is of interest to the general public, but it is a relatively complex field and it is preferable, for individuals who wish to get started, to master the main principles beforehand.
Different resale prices
First element to know: the sale of the current produced by the panels is highly regulated. EDF Purchase Obligation (EDF OA) is the organization that purchases electricity, at a rate set at regular intervals by the Energy Regulatory Commission. The price varies depending on the power of the installation, the installation of the panels on the roof and the method of sale.
When part of the electricity is consumed on site, the price differs from that of total resale. For self-consumption with sale of the surplus, the purchase price of the electricity produced is currently set at 13.39 euro cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Added to this is an investment bonus for self-consumption of 510 euros per peak kilowatt (kWp). For a total resale, it’s 23.95 euro cents. These prices apply to installations of less than 3 kWp.
“The profitability varies depending on the installation, but, on average, it takes ten to fifteen years to get there, and we can count on a reduction of 30 to 50% in the electricity bill compared to a house without panels », indicates Emilien Lassara, photovoltaic project manager at the Hespul association, which supports individuals. A saving which is only obtained if the occupants of the house adapt their use of electricity.
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