In Strasbourg (FR), one of the seven pilot sites of the E2-CUTIES project, a Local Energy Community (LEC) initiative has already installed two photovoltaic (PV) plants on the Louvois Primary School. The first installation is producing electricity that is currently sold entirely to the grid, but the long-term ambition is to shift toward collective self-consumption in Strasbourg’s dense inner-city districts.
At the heart of this effort is Les Brasseurs d’Énergie, a citizen-led cooperative founded in 2020. Supported by the City and Eurométropole of Strasbourg within the framework of the 2030 Climate Plan, and closely accompanied by the Agence du Climat, the cooperative demonstrates how grassroots initiatives and public authorities can collaborate in the energy transition. Yet it also highlights the challenges of pioneering collective self-consumption in a socially diverse, urban environment: a motivated but volunteer-run cooperative with limited resources, and a municipality committed to ambitious climate goals but constrained by regulations, technical bottlenecks, and scarce funding.
Strasbourg LEC: The Louvois Primary School project
The Louvois Primary School, located near Strasbourg’s bustling city centre, is a flagship site of this collaboration. In August 2023, 165 square metres of solar panels were installed on its rooftop. The first PV plant began generating electricity in February 2024, followed by a second installation that became operational at the end of June 2025. Together, these two plants offer a combined capacity of 69 kWp. For the moment, Les Brasseurs d’Énergie sells all electricity generated to Électricité de Strasbourg, the city’s main power supplier, feeding renewable energy directly into the grid.
The current model, however, does not yet link production with local consumption. Given the school’s central location and proximity to both residential and commercial districts, the potential for a more integrated local energy system is significant. The cooperative’s goal is to move beyond selling to the grid and establish a collective self-consumption model within a two-kilometre radius, engaging nearby households and businesses in the direct use of locally generated renewable energy. 
Public-Civic Cooperation
The Strasbourg initiative shows how public and civic actors can complement one another. Les Brasseurs d’Énergie brings citizen engagement and local ownership, while the Eurométropole of Strasbourg provides access to rooftops and embeds energy cooperatives into its broader Sustainable Metropolis Plan. The Agence du Climat plays a coordinating role, supporting both the cooperative and the municipality in translating strategy into practice. This collaboration is essential in a city where space is limited and social mobilisation is as important as technical capacity.
Meeting the Challenges
Despite its achievements, the Strasbourg LEC still faces major challenges. Governance is fragile, relying entirely on volunteers on the cooperative side and a municipality without a dedicated LEC mandate. Both actors recognise the need for inclusive participation, trust-building, and accessible communication, especially in inner-city neighbourhoods where energy poverty is common and many residents are transient.
Technical hurdles also remain. The cooperative already operates solar installations, but collective self-consumption requires advanced software, data-sharing, and grid integration, which demand cooperation with national utilities. On the financial side, the cooperative depends heavily on member equity and public subsidies. Upfront costs are high, access to loans is limited, and changes in national feed-in tariffs add uncertainty. The municipality, meanwhile, faces legal and financial risks when entering into partnerships, and both partners lack the stable, long-term funding that would allow them to expand with confidence.
Engagement is another challenge. Mobilising low-income households and tenants is particularly difficult. Volunteer fatigue on the cooperative side and limited staff capacity within the municipality hinder large-scale outreach. Explaining the benefits of collective self-consumption in clear and accessible terms remains a central task.
Moving forward step by step
The next milestone is to define an attractive purchase price that will persuade residents and local businesses to join the scheme. With support from the Agence du Climat and the Eurométropole, the Brasseurs d’Énergie is preparing a communication strategy and an outreach campaign. By the end of the year, they plan to go door-to-door in the pilot area and invite people to a public information meeting in December. This meeting will present the project in detail and build a first list of prospective consumer-members.
In parallel, the cooperative is working to strengthen its governance. On 13 September, members gathered for a team-building workshop organised with the support of the Agence du Climat. The session allowed participants to reflect on their mission, reaffirm their values, and refine their communication approach, while shareholders had the opportunity to share feedback. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive.
“I am delighted to see that Brasseurs d’Énergie is moving forward efficiently. Four years after its creation, the cooperative has already installed two solar plants, and soon this energy will be powering homes across Strasbourg. It’s a meaningful and concrete project.” remarked one shareholder.
