Enogrid

3 co-founders, 26 employees

Rémi Bastien and Benjamin Berthou, both engineers by training, met at their school in Rouen. In 2018, driven by the belief that the energy transition starts locally, they co-founded Enogrid. The third partner, Thibault Rihet, whom they met through their network, joined them to lead the technical aspect of Enogrid. Due to their different and complementary profiles, they naturally divide the leadership of the teams. Rémi, an energy engineer with over 7 years of project management experience, leads the "Business" team, which has developed Enogrid's image and secured contracts with over 200 clients. Benjamin, also an energy engineer with more than 6 years of experience in data management and visualization tools, created the methodologies for all services and structured the "Operations" team. Thibault, an IT engineer with a background in software development, leads the "Tech" team.

Rémi Bastien

Co-founder and CEO

Benjamin Berthou

Co-founder and COO

Thibault Rihet

Co-founder and CTO

While energy prices decreased in 2020 due to the health crisis, the subsequent economic recovery and the Russo-Ukrainian conflict have led to a sustained increase in energy prices since 2021. These increases result in tighter budgets for households, as the share of their expenses dedicated to energy is significant, with electricity prices in France rising by 30% over the past decade (Insee). In response, deploying renewable energies is a way to opt for resources less exposed to price volatility, thus protecting citizens and businesses. It is urgent to implement structural measures to help individuals and professionals reduce their energy costs sustainably and to strengthen European energy independence. According to a Xerfi study on electricity self-consumption, 52% of French people are willing to invest in renewable energies, but only 10% are aware of the opportunities to participate in such projects, limiting the transition to action. However, consuming local and sustainable energy should be applicable to electricity; it would address economic issues by mitigating price fluctuations and also ecological issues by providing all citizens the opportunity to contribute to the energy transition.

Enogrid's mission is to enable as many people as possible to contribute to the energy transition. To achieve this, the company facilitates access to energy self-consumption across France with a multi-stakeholder approach. Enogrid develops services and software to facilitate the implementation and management of renewable electricity projects at the local level and through collective self-consumption (CSC). This regulatory model allows geographically close producers and consumers to directly share the electricity produced, creating a win-win situation: attractive and controlled prices for consumers, and better economic and social valuation for producers. For the past 5 years, the company has been involved in all types of CSC projects throughout France. In addition to providing dedicated support at each stage of a project, Enogrid has leveraged its expertise in this emerging market by developing two computerized tools. EnoLab is a simulation software designed to empower energy professionals (consultants, installers, developers, etc.) who wish to study CSC projects. EnoPower is the second software that allows for the management and sustainability of all types of CSC operations with a set of features dedicated to this valuation model (local electricity distribution and billing, participant management, etc.). Finally, Enogrid has just launched a new software solution, "Mon énergie collective," which is a platform that connects producers wishing to valorize their electricity through CSC with consumers looking to join a project.

Enogrid supports project leaders and energy professionals in the setup and management of CSC operations. The company aims to become a connector and trusted third party that links the various stakeholders of a project. Its "Consulting" offer is divided into three main services: Training, Feasibility Study, and Support; an integrated value proposition that follows the different stages of a CSC project.  Firstly, the training aims to upskill any type of actor who wants to start or support CSC projects. Next, Enogrid assesses the feasibility of a project by identifying the different producers and consumers who need to be located in geographically close areas to validate its energy and economic relevance (ranging from €2,500 to €5,000 per study). Finally, the company provides operational support to project leaders in recruiting consumers and setting up their operation from administrative and contractual perspectives (ranging from €1,000 to €6,000 per project). Regarding the "Software" offer, the company provides internally developed software via a subscription model. In the preliminary phase, clients who wish to independently study their CSC projects can access EnoLab (starting at €1,250/year). In the operational phase, to manage and sustain their operations, CSC managers can use EnoPower (from €150 to €8,000 per year per operation).  In 2023, Enogrid achieved a turnover of €820k, with a net result of -€350k, primarily due to the payroll (nearly 30 employees). Profitability is expected by 2026.

Convinced that the energy transition starts at the local level, Enogrid’s mission is to enable everyone to contribute:

- Facilitate the deployment of collective self-consumption of electricity to share the value created by renewable energy within local areas by involving multiple actors (businesses, local authorities, citizens);

- Enable energy independence and reduce electricity costs by consuming local and sustainable electricity, which is less exposed to energy price volatility;

- Combat energy poverty by supporting project leaders, including local authorities and social landlords, in the framework of energy self-consumption.