ALE - Agence Locale de l'Energie du Grand Lyon, the local energy agency of Greater Lyon was been created in 2000 to implement actions on energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and green buildings. It is mainly working with citizens, local authorities and social housing companies.

ALE's team is already working on awareness raising (activities in school, conferences, exhibitions...) and includes experts on technical aspects: high environmental quality of buildings, RES in buildings (solar, PV and wood energy), high insulation standards... It is also in charge of helping the Lyon conurbation to implement its climate action plan.

ALE's European projects during 2007 include:

• work with citizens on CO₂ reduction at home and in transport (Eco'n'Home);
• work on solar public swimming pools (Solpool);
• work on implementation on a local climate action plan, with mitigation and adaptation aspects (AMICA);
• work on adaptation for France of a Swiss climate and energy certification tool, European Energy Award (REVE).

For these projects, the energy agency is working with Energie-Cités, Klimabundnis, and other European partners.

The Greater Lyon conurbation is a large urban area, gathering 57 cities, for 1.3 million inhabitants and which is 510 square kilometers large. It is the second largest urban zone in France. It is also the center city of the most dynamic region in France regarding renewable energy sources (universities, research centers, factories, and a big network of associations). The energy agency has very good relationships with plenty of local energy actors and local authorities.