l'Actualité du Solaire

EDF is betting heavily on residential and commercial distributed energy in the United States. The electrician first invested in large wind and solar power plants. Now the subsidiary EDF Renewables

is trying to replicate this success on small contracts by multiplying the number of sites for solar installations, storage, micro-grids and electric vehicle chargers. It acquired GroSolar, a specialist in small ground-based systems, and then EnterSolar, one of the leading American installers for commercial and industrial clients. More recently, it bought PowerFlex Systems, which builds charging systems for intelligent electric vehicles.

The current health crisis could provide an opportunity to buy other companies. Other energy companies (Shell, Enel, ...) have bought or are buying up businesses in the United States. The trend is thus towards the emergence of new electricity companies. However, distributed energy is not an easy activity. Many companies are going bankrupt. EDF also experienced setbacks during a contract with PG&E which then went bankrupt.

The American RE market has developed in two forms, large parks and small distributed systems (residential and commercial). Few companies have been able to continue their activity on both markets. EDF did so, but this orientation was overshadowed by the attention paid to large installations. EDF has a strong conviction. It believes that commercial and industrial installations will grow as companies increasingly turn to traditional electricity companies to buy clean energy and energy services directly.

EDF is also interested in vehicle chargers because these vehicles are highly developed in certain car parks of Californian technology companies. It's a way to start a commercial relationship

The diversity of EDF's activities in the United States means that any positive development in one market will have repercussions on another. Today, distributed solar energy is a source of profit across the Atlantic. In the midst of a health crisis, municipal services are open and contracting, while private companies are sometimes stopped. From then on, EDF's solar projects finance part of the growth that should take place in other segments, such as storage or electric vehicles, which are at an early stage.

EDF notes that small projects have a much higher internal rate of return than that of a wind or solar power plant. The challenge is to reduce overheads while developing a constant flow of small projects.

GreenTech Media of 22 April

NDLR EDF can carry out this strategy in the United States, but not in France where the conditions are not met. This presentation indicates the strategy that will be carried out in the different countries to establish the energy transition: to extend its capacity to intervene in related trades, currently not mature but capable of developing within a few years.