Silicéo: from agricultural solar energy to territorial performance, innovation at the service of the energy transition
Design office
For more than fifteen years, Silicéo has been supporting the energy transition of companies and local authorities with a clear vision: to make solar energy a lever for sustainable performance. Supported by its engineering firm Ingélios, the group relies on the archelios PRO software to design reliable, optimised photovoltaic projects adapted to each need, from the agricultural world to large regional installations.
From the family farm to the energy transition of the territories
Created in 2009 by Jean-Baptiste Bournaison, the son of a farmer and an ICAM engineer, Silicéo first specialised in agricultural solar energy before expanding its field of action to industry and local authorities. Its ambition: to offer high-performance and sustainable photovoltaic solutions, combining proximity, technical expertise and quality of execution.
Thanks to continuous growth and the trust of its customers, the company quickly established itself as a leading player in professional photovoltaics.
Ingélios: the design office that propels diversification
In 2021, Silicéo took a new step with the creation of its in-house design office, Ingélios. This entity quickly became a strategic pillar of the group’s development. Its vocation: to design and manage larger-scale solar projects, from HVA to agrivoltaics, including industrial power plants and projects for local authorities.
Ingélios does not just carry out technical studies. The team anticipates regulatory changes and identifies new market opportunities: APER law, collective self-consumption, storage solutions and energy management systems. This forward-looking approach allows Silicéo to remain at the forefront of a constantly changing sector.
Thanks to Ingélios, the group now combines strategic vision and technical excellence, two assets that strengthen its legitimacy in an increasingly competitive market.
Growth driven by trust and territorial anchoring
Silicéo’s development is based on continuous organic growth, but also on a coherent alliance strategy. In 2024, the entry of the Tilt and GEI funds into the capital marks a key milestone. This partnership gives the group the means to continue its expansion and accelerate its impact in the energy transition.
The following year, Silicéo joined Ecopart and Solrys, two well-known regional photovoltaic companies. These acquisitions strengthen the group’s local presence and broaden its field of expertise, particularly in electric mobility with the management and installation of EV charging stations.
Case study: Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pré, collective self-consumption in action
Among the many projects carried out by Ingélios, the one in the municipality of Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pré, in the Marne, perfectly illustrates the group’s capacity for innovation and structuring methodology.
In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the local authority wishes to develop a collective self-consumption operation. The challenge: to pool photovoltaic production on a regional scale to supply several public buildings.
To design the most relevant scheme, Ingélios’ engineers rely on the archelios PRO software. The tool makes it possible to model several plant scenarios and compare their profitability : type of location, production, share of self-consumption, rate of coverage of needs. Thanks to the precision of the simulations, the team quickly highlights the most optimized solutions, while integrating local constraints: roof orientation, shading, connection capacities, annual consumption.
This structured and rational approach provides the municipality with a clear vision of long-term benefits and profitability. The study thus becomes a real decision-making tool, both for elected officials and for technical partners.
archelios PRO, a daily ally for Ingélios engineers
Today, the Silicéo group holds twelve archelios PRO licenses, used in the majority of the studies conducted by Ingélios. The tool has established itself as a pillar of the design chain, from pre-study to full simulation.
“archelios is used for the vast majority of our projects. Its versatility allows us to carry out both rapid pre-studies and complete analyses integrating modelling, production, self-consumption and economic profitability” explains Louis-Octave Moncharmont.
One of the major advantages of the software lies in its complementarity with SketchUp. Engineers model the 3D environment in SketchUp, then import the scene directly into archelios PRO to refine the production calculations. This synergy not only saves valuable time, but also results in clear and realistic visuals that are highly appreciated during customer presentations.
Beyond the technical aspects, Louis-Octave also emphasises the ergonomics and clarity of the results : ” The software is easy to use. The results are readable and understandable, even for beginners. This accessibility reinforces the teams’ pedagogy when interacting with customers and partners, a key factor in transparency and trust.
Tangible benefits at all levels
For Ingélios, the adoption of archelios PRO is part of a global approach focused on efficiency and reliability. The tool addresses several essential challenges:
- Time savings in preparing and validating studies.
- Standardisation of deliverables across the group’s different branches
- Increased data reliability and reduced discrepancies between forecast and actual
- Improved communication with customers, thanks to clear and visual reports.
The use of archelios PRO thus contributes to the rise of the design office and the structuring of the group around common methods.
A relationship of trust with Trace Software
Beyond the software solution, the human relationship with the Trace Software teams plays an important role in the user experience. Louis-Octave emphasises the responsiveness and availability of the interlocutors, whether during commercial exchanges or technical support.
“The Trace Software teams are always attentive and very responsive. They know how to adapt their offers to our needs and respond effectively to the requests of our engineers. »
This fluid collaboration contributes to shared progress: feedback from users such as Ingélios isupports continuous product improvment for Trace Software, while technical support helps the group develop its skills.
A forward-looking vision
With more than fifteen years of experience and sustained growth, the Silicéo group is now a leading player in professional solar energy. Its ambition: to continue innovating to support the energy transition of territories, while maintaining the DNA that defines its strength: proximity, high standards and quality of execution.
The perspectives are clear: development of new self-consumption solutions, integration of storage, electric mobility and increased digitalisation of technical studies. These are all areas in which the alliance between Ingélios’ human expertise and the power of software solutions such as archelios PRO promises further advances.
An ambition that Silicéo continues to purse with the same conviction as at its beginnings: useful, accessible and practical solar energy, grounded in reality.
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