Everything you need to get on board with solar

Not yet had the chance to get on board with photovoltaics? True, the sector has faced no shortage of headwinds in recent months. But in the Puy-de-Dôme and well beyond, JR Énergie Conseil has managed to position itself, hold firm and now think big.

"There were four of us in 2019, forty today, and we are still hiring to bring the headcount to fifty soon," says Pierre Renard, managing director. He oversees day-to-day operations for the company and its sister company JP2R (specialised in roof asbestos removal and roofing), as well as business development — under the watchful eye of his father Jean Renard, who launched the venture in 2016 and has no plans to step back.

"I like things to move forward, and to play my part in that," says the hyperactive president of JR Énergie Conseil, who leads on major projects and development.

Playing the collective self-consumption card

A major project? To see one, just look out from the company's offices in the Bois-Joli business park in Cournon at the neighbouring roofs of the B&M warehouses. "We covered a first section — 5,000 m² of photovoltaic panels — in three months," explains Jean Renard. "We start the second section in November and will add another 4,000 m². In total, this 2.2 MWp plant will supply the owner's own consumption and power other businesses and facilities within a one-kilometre radius."

Collective self-consumption is the key to the market's rebound for JR Énergie Conseil. "The authorities closed a lot of doors, but they opened that one," notes Pierre Renard — a reminder that the government's decision to slash the feed-in tariff (from 13 cents per kilowatt-hour to 8.6 cents in 2025, a 30 % cut) because of grid saturation is pushing the industry to explore other routes.

"Plants selling directly to EDF are no longer guaranteed to be profitable. At that price, self-consumption is the better option."

An option that is obviously more profitable for larger organisations — companies and farms — which today account for more than 90 % of the €10 million combined annual turnover of JR Énergie Conseil and JP2R. Provided it is feasible: many older roofs are simply not able to carry a photovoltaic installation.

"So we offer a complete solution, from reinforcing the framework and roof to installing the panels, including asbestos removal and re-roofing where needed," stresses Jean Renard. "We are one of the only players in the sector to provide such an integrated solution."

Does that mean turning away from households, which until recently made up a large share of the 1,000 installations already completed? "Not at all," Jean Renard replies. "We don't neglect any market. From a 3 kWh household system to large installations, every project is worth taking." And all of them are eligible for the add-on JR Énergie Conseil now offers its customers: a storage battery that lets them use the energy even when the panels are no longer producing.

"We now install them systematically, including for households," says Jean Renard.

Exporting to Eastern Europe and Africa

In time, these solutions could spread well beyond the Chaîne des Puys. The entrepreneur is now targeting export — equipment distribution as well as installation — with two priority regions: Eastern Europe and Africa. Even if China has already covered much of the African continent.

"There are many places where everything remains to be done. We are setting up the company that will work on this market. We will be ready to start on 1 January." JR Énergie Conseil's leaders are not going it alone: they have the backing of significant shareholders, as Pierre Renard points out. "We have gained enough credibility to attract partners who joined us recently and give us the financial footing to keep growing."

The adventure will soon continue in Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Djibouti — while keeping an eye on France and the Auvergne market. JR Énergie Conseil will attend the Sommet de l'Élevage livestock show in early October for the second year running, hoping to repeat its 2024 success, and in December will take part in EnerGaïa in Montpellier, the renewable-energy forum where the sector's major players meet.