A Shared Position for Three Village Power Plants in Savoie

septiembre 2025

Territoires à Energie Positive (TEPOS)

Supporting the Professionalization of Village Power Plants

There are eight citizen-led energy-production collectives in Savoie. Three of them ¹ are located in neighboring areas around Chambéry and expressed a need to professionalize their operations in 2024. While the need was shared, the solution was not obvious, since none of the collectives wanted to take the step of hiring staff directly. Becoming an employer entails too many burdens (administrative, HR, etc.) for small volunteer-run organizations. Asder then facilitated the creation of a shared position by providing technical expertise on the financial structure and subsequently managing the position, which was made available to the three village centers. Specifically, this full-time equivalent (FTE) position is funded as follows: 30% by the three village centers, 10% by Grand Chambéry and the Cœur de Savoie Community of Municipalities, and 60% by Leader funds. This arrangement is governed by an agreement signed in January 2025 for a two-year term.

Ensuring the Long-Term Sustainability of This Position: A Top Priority

For Nicolas, who holds this shared position, it’s a constant juggling act between the three village power plants: three email inboxes to check, three groups to manage. Beyond the challenge of managing time and daily emergencies, the number one priority is to secure this position for the long term. Co-funding from Leader and the EPCI will end in 2027, which is why a business model based on self-financing by the three village power plants was put on the table from the very beginning of discussions about creating this position. With 1.1 MW of installed capacity today, the three cooperatives are aiming for 2 MW by 2027, which would allow them to fund 100% of the position by the end of the agreement. According to Hugo Bérard, this trajectory is realistic, although it has been undermined by the update to the photovoltaic tariff decree in February 2025. This will contribute to reducing the scale of the projects, which could make reaching the 2 MW target take a little longer.

The other village-based power plants in Savoie are at different stages of development, but could replicate this shared employment model once they are ready, drawing on this initial local experience.

The Additional Benefits of This Model Supported by Asder

This was one of the reasons behind the creation of this shared position managed by Asder: to combat employee isolation and give the employee access to Asder’s expertise and resources. This dual benefit provides a concrete solution to the challenges faced by village power plants seeking to hire staff, by offering sustainable working conditions and a sense of team spirit.

A little over six months after the creation of this shared position, Hugo Bérard also points out additional benefits that hadn’t really been identified initially.

While there had been concerns that the arrival of a staff member might demotivate volunteers, the opposite has actually happened: the milestone achieved by creating a dedicated position has reinvigorated the collectives, while reducing the mental burden on volunteers (who are primarily working professionals in two of the three collectives). There is also a new dynamic of collaboration, including among volunteers, with closer ties being forged between the three village power plants. Finally, the arrival of a staff member has made it possible to diversify the projects developed by the collectives, expanding into other renewable energy sources. One of the village power plants, in particular, is launching a renewable heat initiative.

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