About us

Originally, in the 1930s, entrepreneur Charles Marsot developed a business in the oil industry through SPTI (Société Pétrolière et Technique d’Investissement): refining, import-export, etc.

SPTI sold its oil activities in the 1970s and then moved into hydroelectricity, the group’s first steps into renewable energy. For around 30 years, the group developed run-of-river power plant and hydroelectric dam projects.

From 2012 onwards, the group sought to contribute in its own way to the energy transition and joined forces with Vianney de l’Estang, a graduate of the École Polytechnique (Engineering School in Paris) who had worked for Engie and Poweo, to roll out a new roadmap. Under the leadership of Vianney de l’Estang, the group, renamed Smart Energies, quickly became one of the leaders in solar rooftops in France, before expanding in Europe. The group develops, finances, builds, and operates solar power plants on rooftops, park shelters, and small degraded sites. Smart’s DNA lies in managing medium-sized projects with a small footprint, high local acceptance, and multiple benefits for the communities, whether for the roofs and land owners (farmers, local authorities, etc.) or for local businesses (masons, carpenters, electricians, joiners, etc.). In 2023, Smart Energies became a mission-driven company, with a view to perpetuating its original low land footprint approach.

To date, Smart Energies has built and commissioned more than 700 solar sites with a cumulative solar capacity of over 200 MWp, and has more than 1,000 projects in its portfolio, mainly in France, Italy, and Greece. To finance its growth, the group has raised funds over time from financial partners (Rgreen Invest, Plenium Capital, and Swen Capital). It has around 100 employees, many of whom are also partners thanks to several employee share ownership programs.

The group is actively working to expand into other regions and recently finalized its first battery storage projects. In the future, it will continue to innovate and reinvent itself as it has always done, to remain a key player in energy issues.