Environment: solar kits to finally dare homemade electricity

A lot of French people want to produce their own energy. But very few take the plunge, there are many psychological brakes, says Ralph Feghali, one of the three co-founders of Beem Energy. It is on the basis of this observation that the Nantes start-up imagined kits of solar panels to install yourself, on any well-exposed surface of your house, garden or apartment, by simply plugging them into an outlet. In an hour, it’s done, continues the entrepreneur.

60 € to 80 € savings

Listen, Beem Energy’s offer removes all obstacles to self-consumption of energy. The price, first. € 780 per kit comprising four panels, capable of producing 300 watts, equivalent to 14% of the consumption excluding heating of a three-person household. That is a saving of € 60 to € 80 on the annual bill.

The ease of installation, then. The panels, each weighing 5 kg, plug into a standard outlet and green electricity is fed directly into the home network. The objective is to cover the “background noise” of the house, that is to say the invisible electricity consumption generated by devices on standby (fridge, freezer, internet box, etc.).

The playful aspect, finally. An application linked to the kit makes it possible to follow energy production in real time. “People learn what 30 watts correspond to, they reclaim their electricity consumption”, explains Ralph Feghali.

Gadget ?

The Boulanger brand has recently been marketing Beem Energy kits. Leroy Merlin will soon do the same, with an introductory offer of € 680.It matches customer expectations. The kits are accessible, including to tenants, they can be moved and reinstalled easily after a move, details Maude Wascat, supply and purchasing manager at Leroy Merlin.

But it’s good that side gadgetwhich does not quite convince Joël Mercy, president of the group of private electricity producers (GPPEP).The production is minimal. Moreover, each house has a different electrical life. To properly size the installation, professional advice is essential.

However, he attributes to this kit the merit of democratize self-consumption, which is slow to develop in France. Only 90,000 households have installed solar panels at home, against 800,000 in Italy and 2 million in Germany.

For Ralph Feghali, Beem Energy is not intended to replace the more expensive roof panels. Our kits are a good way to get started. And with a rate of return on investment of 10 to 15%, it remains a green and profitable investment.

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