With Dream Energy, Artea wants to take its place in the world of rapid charging

Artea is a real estate developer with high environmental values, which built the Arteparc Sophia Antipolis in the heart of the technopole. On a plot of 16,500 m², the Arteparc consists of three tertiary buildings, one of which is entirely occupied by the IBM research laboratory on artificial intelligence. Another houses a coworking space and a restaurant operated directly by Artea, respectively under the Coloft and Amici brands. It’s a building with a huge rooftop offering an exceptional panoramic view which can be transformed into a private event space.

The region’s first private smart grid 

Arteparc Sophia Antipolis stands out above all however because, created in partnership with Enedis, it is the first private smart grid in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Each building has a photovoltaic power plant on the roof, which produces electricity which it can share under a collective self-consumption agreement. This is particularly useful because these buildings have different load curves. The peaks in consumption of buildings housing only offices are not the same as those hosting the restaurant. This exchange capacity increases the autonomy at the Arteparc scale. An autonomy enhanced by the use of two batteries that allow the storage of energy when it is not being used in order to re-direct it to the buildings at the right time. Thanks to this, autonomy at the Arteparc Sophia Antipolis can reach 60% while it is generally 30% for a single building with positive energy.

In Sophia Antipolis, the energy produced by the solar panels is also used to power a charging station for electric vehicles. Installed at the entrance of the Arteparc, this station includes 3 charging points, one of which can deliver up to 160 kW. Which means that for vehicles accepting this charging power, they can recover 80% of their range in about twenty minutes. This rapid charging station is open to all electric vehicle users, at a rate of €0.39/kWh, payable via an electronic tag or credit card.

From real estate to charging stations

Artea’s intention is to reproduce this triptych (construction of buildings/production of 100% renewable energy/operation of charging stations), not only within its Arteparc, but also on many other sites. For this, the group created Dream Energy, a channel for the parent company for all energy and environmental aspects. Artea Development Director, Nathan Dubois-Stora, states that Dream Energy’s first ambition is to build a charging network powered by its own renewable electricity. Energy produced today by 70 hydropower and photovoltaic plants. In order to compensate for the intermittence of renewable energies, Dream Energy is developing a network of powerful batteries (between 300 kW and 1 MW) installed in charging stations or directly in hydraulic and photovoltaic power plants. Production units that power the Dream Energy charging station network.

A network that was initially deployed on tertiary real estate projects where environmental technologies and charging stations are integrated. Dream Energy has, of course, installed its first charging stations in the Artea group’s sites. Arteparc such as those of Sophia Antipolis or Lille-Lesquin where it controlled the land and the supply of renewable energy. But another part of the deployment concerns a set of charging stations that are not necessarily part of real estate programmes. Moreover, in the long term, the network will consist essentially of stations totally independent of Artea’s real estate projects. Stations that can be located in the car parks of hotels or shopping centres.

A target of 300 charging stations in France by 2025

In the field of charging, Dream Energy has big ambitions and aims for 300 stations by 2025. Stations equipped with 4 to 20 rapid charging points that will allow it to support the new needs of those using electric mobility by guaranteeing maximum autonomy in very short charging times. Already, the company operates more than 300 charging points spread over a dozen stations. This number is expected to increase very rapidly, with some 60 stations expected to be operational by the end of the year. In Sophia Antipolis, Dream Energy will soon open a second station on the new Orange Campus. A station with 8 charging points, including 6 ultra-fast stations delivering up to 300 kW of power. The terminals are already installed, but Enedis has yet to finalise their connection to the network.

Dream Energy’s strategy to become a major player in the sector

To achieve its objectives and become a major player in charging in France, Dream Energy relies on its specific model of providing a global energy solution. This is done by being both a producer of electricity, a supplier of renewable energy and finally an operator of charging stations. A model that allows it to guarantee low carbon budgets, but also stable and extremely competitive prices. A very important point for Nathan Dubois Stora, who believes that “for the energy transition to take place, it must be fair, sustainable and acceptable in terms of tariffs.” Today, the electricity market has become particularly volatile, with price increases often very sharp among some operators.

Its integrated model allows Dream Energy to stand out from this dynamic and position itself with Artea as an ecosystem builder. Both in Sophia Antipolis with real estate, a smart grid and charging stations and with its stations in shopping centres where it brings green energy, photovoltaic shading and price stability. In addition, in order to appeal to certain local authorities, Dream Energy proposes not only to take over the entire investment of the stations but also, in addition to the charging facility, to build and operate a service centre in which there is an activity area, a snack area, a relaxation area and children’s games. The idea is to be able, on certain strategic locations in areas with few services in the vicinity, to offer stations that enable drivers to make best use of their time when stopped for twenty or thirty minutes.