Stories
Success story: A French wind farm by and for the people
Community energy is key to action on the climate crisis. It can empower people, boost local economies, and reinvigorate communities. Community-led initiatives play an important role in the transition towards a 100% renewable and just energy future. Success stories of community energy projects can be found all over Europe. At REScoop.eu we want to highlight these stories to further accelerate the movement towards a cleaner and democratic system. This month, we travel to France to explore the Andilly‑Les‑Marais community wind farm.
Unlike most large scale wind projects, a French citizen-led wind farm in Andilly‑Les‑Marais, western France, is proving that wind energy can serve the local community. It all started when the mayor of Andilly, who was looking for a renewable project that would benefit the local area, met Georges Vasseur and Guy Martin, founders of the local association ANE!rs17. Guy and Georges persuaded Andilly’s mayor to back a citizen-led project, and two years later, the municipality issued a call for expressions of interest to develop a wind power project with a community-based component.
In 2020, five partners signed an agreement to launch the first citizen-owned wind park in the Charente-Maritime region. The signatories were the municipality of Andilly, the Aunis Atlantique Community of Municipalities, ANE!rs17, the renewable energy company VALOREM, and the regional renewable energy investment fund TERRA ENERGIES. Each stakeholder had the right of one vote in decision-making.
However, it was agreed from the outset that the local council, the community of municipalities, and ANE!rs17 would eventually withdraw from the shareholding in favour of a newly established local energy cooperative that would facilitate citizen participation. This transfer took place in 2022, when the new cooperative, COOPEC, acquired 31% of the wind farm's share capital along with 3 out of the 5 votes on the project's management board. This unique arrangement decouples shareholding from decision-making power, helping safeguard the community-owned character of the wind farm.
Citizen fundraising and federation support
The new governance structure was there, but funding was lacking to onset the wind project. Bertrand Cardinal, president of COOPEC explains: “We were very quickly confronted, not without a certain sense of alarm, with our responsibilities and the project's unforgiving financial realities [...]. The three shareholders were required to contribute €3.9 million in equity, representing a share of €1.2 million for COOPEC. With an initial share capital of just €39,600 and a €45,000 grant awarded by the region, we faced a massive challenge: how could we raise over €1 million in just under four months?”
COOPEC launched a citizen fundraising campaign, inviting its 200 members at the time to participate in the collective financing of the wind farm. Yet despite their efforts, they reached only half of the goal at the end of the campaign. Fortunately, Énergie Partagée, the national federation of energy communities, stepped in and covered the missing amount of €550,000 in the form of a short-term shareholder loan.
Community at the heart of energy production and supply
The wind farm started operating in 2024, selling its electricity to the energy cooperative Enercoop at market prices. For Bertrand, Enercoop was a natural choice. “From the project's inception, we dreamed of selling the wind farm’s electricity to Enercoop, as it made perfect sense. A community-owned wind farm would sell power to a cooperative that is producer and supplier of 100% green, mission-driven electricity. We both shared the same community-focused DNA!”
The president of COOPEC feels proud of what they have achieved so far regarding their collaboration. “The Andilly wind farm has become Enercoop’s largest supplier, accounting for approximately 10% of the electricity the cooperative sells. Today, we can say that we have surpassed our dream, as the first MWh produced by the wind farm was sold to Enercoop, and we have secured this sales arrangement until 2050.”
Direct benefits for the local area
The Andilly‑Les‑Marais community wind farm counts 546 members, 96% of whom are citizens. The production of the wind farm (48,500 MWh per year) covers the annual electricity consumption of 41,500 people (excluding heating and hot water). In 2025, the wind farm produced 50% of the residential electricity consumption of the inhabitants of the Aunis Atlantique territory.
Beyond its contribution to renewable energy production, the wind farm fosters local development by reinvesting part of its revenues in actions that directly benefit residents and the community. For the next 25 years, up to €62,000 will be allocated annually to fund initiatives that promote energy efficiency and fight energy poverty in the region. For the period 2025-2027, this includes €500 subsidies to buy electric bikes, €1,000 support for home energy renovations, and funding to teach kids how to cycle in primary schools.
Additionally, COOPEC and the other shareholders organise site visits to the wind farm. “Our goal is to transform this wind farm into a tourist destination that people visit with family or friends, allowing them to discover that it is possible to reclaim energy through community-led renewable energy projects” Bertrand notes. To enhance its appeal for visitors, three information panels highlight the project’s community-owned nature, its technical specifications, and commitment to the environment and biodiversity.
The project’s efforts to benefit the local community haven’t been unnoticed. In April 2026, the wind farm won the Fast and Fair award, which recognises renewable energy projects that demonstrate how the energy transition can go hand‑in‑hand with social justice, environmental stewardship, and genuine community engagement. Aligned with this vision, REScoop.eu proudly supports the Fast and Fair initiative and its principles to accelerate renewables and grids in Europe. Meaningful citizen participation and ownership boost social acceptance of renewables, reduce permitting times, and keep value in local economies.
Needed reforms and future projects
Despite the remarkable achievements of the Andilly-les-Marais wind farm, Bertrand believes changes are needed to upscale community energy projects across France. First and foremost, he mentions the importance of favouring citizen renewable energy projects over private ones. Additionally, Bertrand asks for a tax deduction in shares of citizen energy projects, and an exemption from social charges and taxes on interest paid to members who finance these projects.
Regardless of the multiple barriers of the current legislation in France, COOPEC is planning to expand their community energy projects with two new solar parks on degraded land unsuitable for any agricultural or pastoral activity, giving them a new use for local renewable energy production. Some of the electricity produced will be sold to nearby consumers, once again helping to bring energy production closer to the needs of people.