The CRE grants Symphonics an exemption regarding pricing for low-voltage battery storage
Paris, October 19, 2026. The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) has just granted Symphonics, a specialist in smart energy management and a provider of 100% renewable electricity, an exemption allowing it to test, for four years, a revised pricing framework applicable to battery-based electricity storage connected to the local grid (“Low Voltage,” or LV). This exemption, granted as part of the regulatory experimentation framework known as the “regulatory sandbox,” aims to test an incentive-based tariff signal for storage-only facilities connected to the LV grid with a contracted power capacity exceeding 36 kVA.
Remove the barriers to local flexibility initiatives
The CRE has granted an exemption to the project led by Symphonics to allow electricity storage facilities—connected at low voltage, with a capacity exceeding 36 kVA, and operated by Symphonics —to access a rate option previously reserved for facilities connected at high voltage.
This option under the Public Electricity Grid Usage Tariff (TURPE 7) provides for a specific rate for facilities that draw electricity from the grid and then feed it back into the grid, such as energy storage batteries.
In fact, battery storage is an effective means of ensuring flexibility to prevent grid congestion. Until now, only large storage facilities connected to the high-voltage grid (HTA and HTB) benefited from an incentive-based grid usage tariff (TURPE) designed to encourage them to charge when the grid is congested and discharge during peak demand periods.
Until now, medium-sized batteries (between 36 and 250 kVA) connected to the local low-voltage grid could not benefit from this type of pricing due to the lack of a regulatory framework allowing it, which limited the deployment of these grid stabilization solutions in critical areas. By allowing its application to distributed installations, the exemption granted to Symphonics promotes the deployment of storage as close as possible to producers and consumers, thereby enhancing the flexibility of the electric grid.
An experimental program overseen by the CRE
Thanks to this regulatory sandbox—a mechanism established under the Energy-Climate Act that allows innovations to be tested under real-world conditions— Symphonics will be able to apply an incentive-based pricing structure to the eligible batteries it manages. This structure is modeled after the one already in effect for high-voltage (HTA) and medium-voltage (HTB) systems and varies depending on the area of the grid where each battery is located:
- In so-called “feed-in” zones—where the local grid is structurally saturated with green electricity (for example, in the middle of the day)—the battery receives a financial incentive to recharge in order to absorb this surplus.
- In so-called “drawdown” areas—where the grid is under greater strain due to consumption, particularly during evening peak periods—the battery is prompted to feed electricity back into the grid to relieve the load.
The pilot program is being conducted by Symphonics under a pilot agreement entered into with Enedis, the distribution system operator, under the supervision of the CRE. It is authorized for a period of four years from the date of signing this agreement, and no later than September 1, 2027. Customers of Symphonics whose batteries are participating in the pilot program must first give their consent.
Each year, Enedis and Symphonics will submit a progress report on the project to the CRE, based on monitoring indicators defined in the resolution. These results will enable the CRE to assess the merits of potentially extending this tariff component to all low-voltage storage facilities as part of the next tariff regulation (TURPE 8 HTA-BT).
Until now, storage on the low-voltage grid has been hampered by a tariff framework that was ill-suited compared to that of the high-voltage grid. By opening up this regulatory sandbox, the CRE is making it possible to align economic realities with technical realities. Our control algorithms demonstrate on a daily basis that flexibility has become a key driver for grid balancing. All that was missing was this tariff signal to unlock the full potential of low-voltage storage for the benefit of the electric grid.
"Says Mathieu Rochard, CEO and Founder of Symphonics."
About Symphonics
Symphonics an integrated player in the energy sector, specializing in smart energy management and the optimization of generation, storage, and consumption assets in the energy markets. The company has established itself as a major player in energy aggregation, flexibility, and supply, and has expanded into several European countries. Symphonics “Managed Energy” solutions to support consumers and players in the renewable energy sector in transitioning to more competitive and sustainable energy. Certified by RTE and designated a “Deeptech” company by Bpifrance, Symphonics currently Symphonics more than 400,000 connected devices and actively supports the development and integration of renewable energy.https://symphonics.fr/
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