ciren-sas

What ciren-sas does

CIREN SAS is a citizen-owned renewable energy cooperative (SAS à capital variable) headquartered in Rennes, France (SIREN 85058071300012), founded in 2019 by 30 associates under the impetus of the Energies du Pays de Rennes association and with the institutional support of SEM Energ'IV. It develops, finances, and operates photovoltaic solar power plants on the rooftops of municipal, educational, social-housing, and cooperative buildings across the Rennes metropolitan area and the Ille-et-Vilaine department. As of March 2026, the cooperative has deployed 15 installations totaling 516 kWc of capacity, covering more than 2,180 m² of rooftops, and producing approximately 500 MWh of renewable electricity per year.

The cooperative governs itself through a four-college structure — individual citizens, employees, energy-transition associations, and enterprises/collectivities — and holds the French State's Agrément Entreprise Solidaire et d'Utilité Sociale status under the Économie Sociale et Solidaire framework. Beyond asset ownership, CIREN operates the ECLAIRS program of collective self-consumption (autoconsommation collective), connecting nearby residents, businesses, and schools to locally produced solar electricity through operations in Bréquigny, Landrel-Le Blosne, and La Chapelle des Fougeretz, with more than 78 consumer participants. It also coordinates plug-and-play individual solar panel workshops and is a founding member of the BretiSun ISDND consortium, which will add 14 MWc of ground-mounted capacity on six former waste storage sites.

CIREN's revenue mechanics combine (i) electricity sales via grid injection and collective self-consumption allocations, (ii) ongoing equity capital subscriptions from cooperators via the multi-coop Coophub platform, and (iii) Associate Current Account (Compte Courant d'Associé) loans issued for project-specific vehicles such as BretiSun (€500–€10,000 tickets, 5% gross / 3.5% net annual return, 10-year tenor). Customer segments span individual citizen cooperators (~220+), local enterprises and associations, and Ille-et-Vilaine municipalities that provide rooftop access.

Name

ciren-sas

Legal name

CIREN SAS

Website

https://ciren-sas.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CIREN SAS is a citizen-owned renewable energy cooperative in Rennes, France that develops, finances, and operates rooftop and ground-mounted photovoltaic solar plants while running ECLAIRS collective self-consumption operations for 220+ citizens, businesses, associations, and local governments across Ille-et-Vilaine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Citizen Renewable Energy (Solar Energy Cooperative)

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Grid Integration & Interconnection Services (Studies, Protection, SCADA, Forecasting) (EUAMABAI), Solar Financing, Leasing & Ownership Platforms (Tax Equity, PPA, Securitization) (EUAMABAJ)

Keywords

• Photovoltaic solar energy
• Citizen energy cooperative
• Collective self-consumption
• Rooftop solar installations
• Community renewable energy

Headquarters

HQ city

Rennes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Renewable Electricity Sales: CIREN produces and sells electricity from solar installations. Electricity is either injected into the grid or consumed locally through collective self-consumption arrangements. The ECLAIRS program enables circuit-short electricity consumption by nearby participants.
2. Capital Subscriptions from Cooperators: Citizens, enterprises, associations, and collectivités subscribe to capital shares of the cooperative. Investment in capital shares funds new solar project development. Capital variable structure (SAS à capital variable) allows ongoing investment.
3. Associate Current Account (CCA) Investment: For the BretiSun ISDND project, citizens invest via Compte Courant d'Associé (CCA) through participating citizen energy cooperatives. This is a 10-year investment with 5% annual return, functioning as a loan to the project company.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIREN SAS is a citizen-owned renewable energy cooperative (SAS à capital variable) that develops, finances, and operates photovoltaic solar installations on rooftops of municipal, educational, and commercial buildings across the Rennes metropolitan area. The cooperative runs the ECLAIRS collective self-consumption operation, which supplies locally produced solar electricity to nearby residents and organizations. CIREN also develops larger ground-mounted solar projects on former waste sites (BretiSun ISDND) and offers educational "plug-and-play" solar workshops.

Product overview

CIREN is a citizen-owned renewable energy cooperative (SAS à capital variable) offering a portfolio of photovoltaic solar power products and services. Core offerings include 15 deployed solar power plants (centrales solaires) totaling 516 kWc across rooftops in the Rennes metropolitan area, alongside collective self-consumption operations under the ECLAIRS program that enable citizens to share locally produced renewable electricity. The ECLAIRS program spans multiple zones including Bréquigny, Landrel-Le Blosne, and La Chapelle des Fougeretz. Additional offerings include the BretiSun ISDND project (6 ground-mounted solar fields, 14 MWc) and plug-and-play individual solar panels through group buying. Citizens can participate through capital share subscriptions via the Coophub platform, with investment opportunities for new projects under development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 516 kWc of solar capacity deployed across 15 installations as of March 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• DilammatcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Solar installation company based in Rennes that installed the 80-panel, 35 kWc system on the Bâtiment Réemploi at La Chapelle des Fougeretz déchetterie in 2024.
• Emeraude SolairecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Solar installation company that installed CIREN's first solar installations including Point 21 (Laillé) and Centre Technique Municipal (St Jacques de la Lande). Responsible for physical installation of photovoltaic panels on CIREN projects.
• Breti Sun ISDNDflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Project company created in March 2020 to convert 6 former waste storage sites into solar farms (14 MWc total). CIREN and two other citizen cooperatives (Les Survoltés, CVRE) are responsible for citizen mobilization and fundraising. Target of 500,000€ in citizen subscriptions. Cooperatives will increase ownership to 21% of capital.
• SCIC Les SurvoltéscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Citizen energy cooperative based in Guipel, partner in BretiSun ISDND project. Cooperates with CIREN to organize citizen mobilization and collective investment for the 6-site solar project.
• Centrales Villageoises Rance Emeraude (CVRE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Citizen energy cooperative in Parc Naturel Régional Rance Emeraude, partner in BretiSun ISDND project. Cooperates with CIREN and Les Survoltés for citizen mobilization and investment.
• Energies du Pays de RennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal association coordinating collective self-consumption operations (ECLAIRS program) with CIREN. Initiated CIREN in April 2019. Manages participant enrollment and operations for collective self-consumption in Rennes neighborhoods and La Chapelle des Fougeretz.
• NEOTOAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing provider (HLM) with buildings in Rennes (Landrel and Torigné neighborhoods) hosting 9 CIREN solar installations (164 kWc + 77 kWc). Provides rooftop access and participates in collective self-consumption operations.
• Rennes MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan authority for Rennes area, partner in BretiSun ISDND project representing public/local government interest. Contributes to governance alongside SEM Energ'IV.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SCIC Les Survoltés: Citizen energy cooperative based in Guipel, Brittany, that is a direct partner with CIREN in the BretiSun ISDND project. Operates the same SCIC-style cooperative model developing renewable energy projects in Ille-et-Vilaine, making it a closely comparable peer in scale, governance, and customer base.
• Centrales Villageoises Rance Emeraude (CVRE): Citizen energy cooperative in the Parc Naturel Régional Rance Emeraude, co-developer with CIREN of the BretiSun ISDND project. Part of the broader Centrales Villageoises network with an identical cooperative structure and rooftop solar development model.
• Soleil du Grand Lyon: Citizen solar cooperative in the Lyon metropolitan area following the same SCIC/SAS à capital variable model as CIREN. Develops rooftop solar on public and social housing buildings with citizen financing, directly comparable in business model, scale, and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Énergie Partagée: Federation and investment vehicle supporting citizen renewable energy projects across France. CIREN operates within the broader Énergie Partagée network and benefits from shared tools like Coophub; comparable as the umbrella movement for citizen energy cooperatives of CIREN's type.
• Enercoop: National renewable energy cooperative supplying100% renewable electricity to consumers across France. Much larger than CIREN but shares the cooperative governance ethos and renewable electricity supply mission; comparable as the established incumbent in French citizen energy.
• Boralex: Established renewable energy developer with significant French and European solar and wind operations. While a commercial incumbent rather than cooperative, Boralex competes for similar rooftop and ground-mount solar opportunities in Brittany and serves as a benchmark for operational scale.

Emerging players

• Coopérative Citoyenne d'Énergie (various regional cooperatives): Regional citizen energy cooperatives across France that follow the SCIC cooperative model to develop local renewable projects. Comparable to CIREN as peer emerging players in the citizen energy space, though specific coops vary by region.

Regional players

• SEM Energ'IV: Public-private Société d'Économie Mixte owned by the Ille-et-Vilaine department, focused on 100% renewable energy. CIREN's founding institutional partner and active in BretiSun ISDND governance; comparable as a regional renewable energy developer operating in the same territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ciren-sas