Vent d'Est
Vent d'Est is a privately-held French renewable energy developer founded in 2005, specializing in wind, solar, agrivoltaic, floating PV, battery storage, and green hydrogen projects for agricultural landowners, municipalities, and industrial clients across Grand Est, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and neighboring French regions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersEpinal, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vent d'Est does
Vent d'Est is a privately-held French renewable energy project developer founded in 2005 by Jean-Claude and Jean-Michel Sylvestre, headquartered in Epinal (Grand Est) with a regional office in Dijon and a planned office in Luxembourg. The company develops, builds, and operates wind, solar, agrivoltaic, floating photovoltaic, battery storage, and green hydrogen infrastructure projects across France, supported by an in-house engineering and study bureau covering GIS analysis, environmental and technical studies, permitting, and land negotiation. Its operational base of 16 MW built between 2005-2017 has since scaled into a 500+ MW development pipeline as of May 2024, with the company citing a target of 40 agrivoltaic and storage projects in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté for connection between 2028-2035.
Vent d'Est generates revenue through multiple streams: long-term (40-year) land leases with agricultural landowners, sale of generated electricity to the grid, project development services for partners, and shared-ownership revenue splits with landowners and municipalities. The company operates an enterprise field sales model targeting agricultural landowners, municipalities, and industrial/commercial entities, with three financing options (full developer financing, shared financing, or landowner-led financing with Vent d'Est as white-label operator). Its customer base is highly diversified across individual SMB farms and small communes, with named projects including Vergers Grandieu (1 GWh/year), EARL de Burlinval (20 MWc), GAEC des Blondes (13 MWc), and SCEA de la Gloriette-led AgriVizion (50 MWc). The company maintains core strategic partnerships with Iberdrola (framework agreement for wind/solar development, signed 2021), Innergex (2019), Renner Energies (DESTREN ENERGIES JV, 2022), Lendosphere (crowdfunding, 2026), and Ciel&Terre (floating PV, 2024), and is a 2019 laureate of the Grand Est C2iME acceleration program for hydrogen-renewable integration.
Vent d'Est firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vent d'Est
- Legal name
- Vent d'Est
- Website
- https://vent-d-est.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vent d'Est is a privately-held French renewable energy developer founded in 2005, specializing in wind, solar, agrivoltaic, floating PV, battery storage, and green hydrogen projects for agricultural landowners, municipalities, and industrial clients across Grand Est, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and neighboring French regions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vent d'Est industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Wind Electric Power Generation (221115), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wind Farm Development & Permitting (Greenfield/Brownfield) (EUACAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wind Balance-of-Plant EPC (Crane Pads, Turbine Foundations, Internal Roads) (EUAEADAI), Wind Farm EPC & Balance of Plant Construction (Civil, Electrical, Substations) (EUAMACAF)
Keywords
Where Vent d'Est is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Epinal
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Vent d'Est business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Electricity Generation and Sale: Wind turbines and solar installations generate electricity sold to the grid, providing regular revenue streams. A 3MW wind turbine on a commune territory contributes approximately 30,000 euros per year to the commune and community of communes.
- Land Lease Agreements: 40-year long-term leases with landowners for wind and solar installations. Landowners receive rent payments in exchange for granting land use rights. The period between lease promise and actual lease can take 5-15 years.
- Project Development Services: Full-service project development from feasibility studies through construction and commissioning, including technical studies, environmental impact assessments, permits, grid connection negotiation, and financing assistance.
- Shared Ownership Revenue: Shared financing model where landowner, Vent d'Est, and municipality jointly finance projects and share electricity sales revenue proportionally to their financial contributions.
- Crowdfunding and Participatory Financing: Citizens and investors participate directly in financing renewable energy projects through the Lendosphere platform, generating 1 million euros in 36 hours for the Vergers Grandieu agrivoltaic project.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Wind turbine contribution to local communities |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Vent d'Est product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vent d'Est develops, finances, builds, and operates renewable energy infrastructure including wind farms, solar parks (ground-mounted, rooftop, agrivoltaic, floating PV), green hydrogen refueling stations, and battery storage systems. The company provides full-lifecycle project development services from feasibility studies and permitting through construction and operation, with an in-house engineering bureau covering GIS analysis, environmental studies, land negotiation, and technical engineering.
Product overview
Vent d'Est is a developer and operator of renewable energy infrastructure offering wind farm development and management, solar park development (including floating solar), hydrogen refueling stations, and agrivoltaic solutions. The company operates through its core competencies in project development, land negotiation, and technical engineering services via its internal study bureau. A key subsidiary is DESTREN Énergies (joint venture with Renner Energies) focused on solar projects. Additional offerings include battery storage solutions (BESS) for grid flexibility. Services span from initial feasibility studies through construction and ongoing operation, with a focus on territorial proximity and local stakeholder engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DESTREN ENERGIES (Destren Énergies): Joint venture solar subsidiary created with Renner Energies, focused on solar farm development and exploitation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 agrivoltaic turbine of 3MW provides 30,000 euros per year to communes and communities
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Vent d'Est
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Vent d'Est technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Vent d'Est partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LendospherecoreCrowdfunding platform partnership enabling citizen investment in renewable energy projects. Vent d'Est raised 1 million euros in 36 hours for the Vergers Grandieu agrivoltaic project through this platform.
- Mob'HycoreVent d'Est group company developing hydrogen infrastructure. Mob'Hy operates hydrogen refueling stations and is associated with Vent d'Est as expert land developer and territory manager for renewable energy projects.
- Renner EnergiescoreJoint venture DESTREN ENERGIES created between Vent d'Est and Renner Energies. Vent d'Est brings land expertise, geographic and relational capabilities while Renner contributes solar farm operational experience and capital.
- InnergexminorPartnership agreement signed in October 2019 for renewable energy projects in France. Innergex is a Canadian renewable energy producer (TSX: INE).
- IberdrolacoreSigned framework agreement for the development of wind and solar projects in France on behalf of Iberdrola. This non-exclusive partnership allows Vent d'Est to diversify risks and finance growth of its development team.
- ERGminorThree-year partnership concluded with contributions to Voie Sacrée (55) and Lafauche (52) wind projects. Partnership ended in August 2021 with hopes for authorization between 2022 and 2024.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Vent d'Est competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Neoen: French independent renewable energy producer listed on Euronext Paris, developing wind, solar, and battery storage. Operates in the same French regions with similar development model; offers benchmark valuation reference for French pure-play renewable developers.
- Innergex: Canadian-listed independent renewable energy producer (TSX: INE) that signed a partnership agreement with Vent d'Est in October 2019 for French project development. Directly comparable as a peer and existing strategic partner with overlapping development interests in France.
- Voltalia: French renewable energy developer (Euronext-listed) active in wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and storage. Comparable multi-technology French platform with similar value chain coverage from development to operation.
- Valorem: French independent renewable energy developer operating across wind, solar, and agrivoltaic projects in regional France. Highly comparable to Vent d'Est as a similarly-sized private developer with comparable multi-technology portfolio and territorial engagement model.
- RES (Renewable Energy Systems): Global renewable energy developer with significant French operations across wind, solar, and storage. Comparable full-lifecycle developer/operator model with in-house engineering capabilities similar to Vent d'Est's bureau d'étude.
- Qair: French renewable energy developer (formerly Quadran) with wind, solar, and storage projects across France and internationally. Directly comparable multi-technology platform and project development scope targeting similar agricultural and municipal partners.
Emerging players
- Sun'Agri: France-based agrivoltaic specialist focused on dynamic agrivoltaic systems for crop protection. Highly comparable to Vent d'Est's agrivoltaic segment, serving similar agricultural cooperatives and farmers in French territories.
Broad incumbents
- Engie Green: Renewable energy subsidiary of Engie, one of France's largest wind and solar developers. Operates in the same regions as Vent d'Est with overlapping municipal and agricultural engagement.
- Iberdrola: Global renewable energy major that signed a framework agreement with Vent d'Est for French project development. Both a strategic partner and a relevant comparable given overlapping interest in French wind/solar development.
- EDF Renewables: Renewable arm of French state utility EDF, operating wind, solar, and storage across France. Broad incumbent in the same French renewable development market with significantly greater capital base and project pipeline.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vent d'Est social profiles
Digital presenceVent d'Est financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vent d'Est leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vent d'Est subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Vent d'Est funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vent d'Est M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vent d'Est
What does Vent d'Est do?
Vent d'Est develops, finances, builds, and operates renewable energy infrastructure including wind farms, solar parks (ground-mounted, rooftop, agrivoltaic, floating PV), green hydrogen refueling stations, and battery storage systems. The company provides full-lifecycle project development services from feasibility studies and permitting through construction and operation, with an in-house engineering bureau covering GIS analysis, environmental studies, land negotiation, and technical engineering.
Is Vent d'Est a public or private company?
Vent d'Est is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Vent d'Est founded?
Vent d'Est was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vent d'Est based?
Vent d'Est is headquartered in Epinal, France, in the Europe region.
How does Vent d'Est make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Electricity Generation and Sale is the primary driver. The others are land Lease Agreements, project Development Services, shared Ownership Revenue and crowdfunding and Participatory Financing.
Who are Vent d'Est's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Neoen, Innergex, Voltalia, Valorem, RES (Renewable Energy Systems) and Qair. Sun'Agri is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Engie Green, Iberdrola and EDF Renewables.
Does Vent d'Est have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vent d'Est.
What industry is Vent d'Est in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUACAFAE, Wind Farm Development & Permitting (Greenfield/Brownfield), with a secondary code of EUAEADAI, Wind Balance-of-Plant EPC (Crane Pads, Turbine Foundations, Internal Roads). Its NAICS code is 221115.