Demand side management in rural areas in France

Power distribution in rural areas in France, which concerns 30% of national population and 80% of municipalities, is regulated by specific principles. Operations and routine maintenance are carried out by electric utilities, mainly EDF, and some local ones. Grid reinforcements and extensions are financed by municipalities. Since 1995 DSM programmes have been implemented to avoid the need for grid reinforcements, and renewable energy sources used to avoid grid extensions. Available credits amount to FF 100 million annually (US$ 20 million) from the Rural Electricity Fund (FACE). ADEME is the operating agent for these programmes, in co-operation with the national utility EDF and local authorities. The goal of the DSM programmes is to reduce voltage drop on overloaded feeders. The solutions implemented include peak shaving, power control and cut-off devices on selected appliances, electric battery charging in off-peak hours, conservation of electricity by use of low-energy appliances (washing machines), home insulation, and substitution of other energies for electric heating. Co-ordinated action involving several consumers on a given feeder is often necessary. The economic constraint is that the total cost of the DSM programme must be lower then the discounted cost of the deferred grid reinforcement. In the first year, 1995, 26 local programmes were decided, at locations in 14 departments with a total displaced or avoided power demand amounts to 8,000 kW. The cost of avoided reinforcements was estimated at FF 60 million, versus FF 11 million for DSM investments. Results for 1996 will be available at the time of the conference. This paper emphasises the methodology used to design these programmes, the DSM solutions implemented and the first quantitative findings. It also presents the first results of a sociological study on the acceptability of these programmes to final consumers. Their attitude is in fact one of the key points to the success of these programmes.