Cozzano’s ambition to become a positive energy village
Cozzano is a village of 270 inhabitants in the upper Taravo valley in southern Corsica. The village has embarked on its energy transition by investing in sustainable production, with the ultimate aim of becoming a positive energy village.
Cozzano’s energy mix in transition: the use of biomass
The village of Cozzano was the first Corsican municipality to be equipped with a biomass heating plant, inaugurated in 2015. With a power of 100kW, the heating plant produces hot water that is used to heat 1200m² of buildings in the village, including the town hall, the kindergarten, the school and the post office. The heating plant is powered by wood pellets that the municipality obtains from Corse Bois Energie (Corsica Wood Energy), while awaiting the possibility of using its own biomass resources.
For one year of heating, the village uses an average of 55 tonnes of wood pellets. This allows Cozzano to avoid the consumption of 13 tons of fuel oil and the emission of 168 tons of CO2 each year and allows the municipality to save €15,000 on its heating bill annually. The installation of the biomass heating plant is also of considerable socio-economic interest since it facilitates the structuring of the wood industry in the region by encouraging the valorisation of wood waste in a logic of circular economy. According to local authorities, the wood energy sector creates 4 times more economic activity in the region than other energy sectors. In a region where heating needs coexist with forest resources, this initiative is a concrete example of sustainable development in its three dimensions – environmental, social and economic. On the other hand, another objective is to participate in the sustainable management of forests in the region and to reduce the risk of forest fires.
The use of hydropower and photovoltaics
Jean-Jacques Ciccolini, Mayor of Cozzano, later had solar panels being installed on the roofs of the village’s social housing stock. A micro-hydroelectric power plant was installed on the drinking water network in order to produce electricity by turbining the water as it is conveyed to residents. Another hydroelectric power plant project, on a river, is also in progress.
Cozzano’s goal is to become a positive-energy village, producing twice the amount of (sustainable) energy it consumes. According to its calculations, the municipality should eventually be able to resell its surplus energy to EDF (Electricity of France) for a value of €150,000 per year.
