Is France a smart grid?

(Régis Le Drézen, General Delegate of French industry association Think Smartgrids.) Régis Le Drézen believes France is “one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to the digitalisation of its electrical grid”. He tells Jonathan Spencer Jones why. If anyone should know a thing or two about smart grids, it’s Régis Le Drézen.

How will smart grids affect France's future energy grids?

With smart grids, consumption can be tailored to production, which is why "consum'actors" play a vital role. Smart electricity meters, like Linky, or their natural gas equivalents, such as Gazpar, are among the first additions to France's future energy grids.

What is smartgrids CR?

it manages a collaborative website dedicated to smart grids ( ). This is a dissemination tool for research and experimental work conducted in France. It also organises forums every three years, an information meeting and discussions on smart grid-related topics;

What is a smart grid?

A smart grid involves new information and communication technology (NICT) to develop a multitude of new uses. Making grids smarter by equipping them with NICT is ultimately about improving energy supply: for grid operators, smart grids make the network more adaptable.

How many smart meters are there in France?

Authorities and grid operators have also launched various initiatives and trials over the last few years. France has around twenty manufacturers of smart meters and smart electrical equipment, as well as around one hundred integrators (setting up, taking readings, and maintaining equipment).

Why do we need smart grids?

for grid operators, smart grids make the network more adaptable. This boosts the resilience of the electricity system to optimise power supply reliability and quality levels, while making it easier to introduce new types of energy production in grids, particularly renewable energy (wind and solar), which are both intermittent and decentralised;