25,000+ testers
8,189,381 kWh saved
30% energy savings for the commercial buildings in the experiment

Work with citizens, businesses, and municipalities to develop the tools required to transform energy consumers into prosumers

CHALLENGES

A decade ago France’s gas and electric utility markets were deregulated. In 2009, a law was passed requiring the separation of gas and electricity production, transportation, distribution, and sales. At the same time, smart buildings, cities, and electricity grids began to take hold. It was amid these profound shifts on the energy market that the Smart Electric Lyon project kicked off in 2012.

The Smart Electric Lyon project was led by France’s historic electric utility EDF and involved a consortium of 21 partners from academia and industry. The project’s objective was clear: to work with citizens, businesses, and municipalities across the Greater Lyon area to develop the tools required to transform energy consumers into prosumers and, ultimately, encourage all consumers to take steps to reduce their energy consumption.

 

The cornerstone of the project—and the basic building block of the smart grid—is the Linky communicating electricity meter. An impressive 35 million of the meters will be installed by 2021. According to the European Commission, smart grids must enable energy producers and consumers to play a proactive role with the end goal of ensuring an efficient, sustainable, economical, and secure electricity supply.

 

Smart Electric Lyon, the first-ever large-scale demonstrator to address the consumer side of the electricity meter, focused on three challenges:

 

The project roadmap initially focused on flexibility or, in other words, active demand management services. These services would give consumers the capacity to temporarily curb their consumption on a non-recurring basis in response to an outside signal of some kind (a higher tariff or a load-shedding request from a utility, for example).

Information

Over the course of the Smart Electric Lyon project, 25,000 participants tested and provided feedback on the tools and solutions provided by the project partners. The information gathered will serve as a valuable resource and source of inspiration for the development of equipment, software, and solutions to help consumers effectively manage their consumption in the future.

 

Results:

 

Growth

The Smart Electric Lyon showroom, which has already welcomed some 9,000 visitors including delegations representing 45 different nationalities, showcases the local ecosystem’s know-how in the field of energy management for smart cities. The showroom’s popularity is evidence of worldwide interest in energy savings.

In France, downtown Lyon’s Part-Dieu neighborhood—currently undergoing a major urban renewal project that will continue through 2030—could benefit directly from the lessons of the Smart Electric Lyon project. The Smart Electric Lyon project partners are planning to launch a Smart Electric Lyon 2 project to develop simpler, more comprehensive solutions for all types of consumers (residential, commercial, government).

 

Outlook

The Smart Electric Lyon showroom, which has already welcomed some 9,000 visitors including delegations representing 45 different nationalities, showcases the local ecosystem’s know-how in the field of energy management for smart cities. The showroom’s popularity is evidence of worldwide interest in energy savings. In France, downtown Lyon’s Part-Dieu neighborhood—currently undergoing a major urban renewal project that will continue through 2030—could benefit directly from the lessons of the Smart Electric Lyon project. The Smart Electric Lyon project partners are planning to launch a Smart Electric Lyon 2 project to develop simpler, more comprehensive solutions for all types of consumers (residential, commercial, government).

 

Financing

The French government’s economic stimulus package via French energy agency ADEME and the Commissioner General for Investment