SMART ECOSYSTEM

A smart electric ecosystem is being developed on the French island of Belle-Île-en-Mer, which lies off the coast of southern Brittany.

From next year, residents will have access to a self-service hire programme featuring a fleet of Renault electric cars that can be powered via a network of charging stations located close to the island’s main attractions.

The new service will take advantage of surplus energy produced by solar panels installed on the roofs of major public buildings on Belle-Île-en-Mer.

Groupe Renault also plans to provide second-life electric car batteries for the island’s largest holiday residences facility.

These batteries will be used to store energy produced during the day by solar panels for use in the evening, chiefly to heat bungalows. This should allow the centre to extend its season which until now has been restricted by heating costs.

The initiative on the island follows the launch of the Smart Fossil Free Island programme, which has been operational since last February on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo in the Madeira archipelago.