Virtual battery comparison 2026: Urban Solar, MyLight or EDF OA?

What is a virtual battery?

The problem with residential photovoltaics is simple: your panels generate between 10:00 and 16:00, but you consume mostly in the morning and evening. Without storage, the surplus is exported to the grid and bought back by EDF OA at just 0.011 €/kWh, whereas you buy electricity at 0.2001 €/kWh, about eighteen times more.

The virtual battery offers a solution: rather than storing the energy in a physical accumulator, it credits your surplus in kWh to an account managed by an operator. Those virtual kWh are then returned on your bill when you need them: in the evening, on cloudy days or in winter. The electricity grid acts as a buffer, in exchange for return fees.

The fundamental difference from a physical battery: no hardware investment, no hybrid inverter, no LFP modules, no maintenance. In return, you cannot disconnect from the grid during a power cut, and you depend on the operator staying in business.

Comparison of virtual battery plans in 2026

Until January 2026, three players operated on the French market: Urban Solar Energy, MyLight Systems and JPME (a subsidiary of Actelios). JPME lost its ministerial approval in January 2026 for misleading commercial practices and late payments; its customers were automatically transferred to EDF. As of today, JPME should in no circumstances be regarded as a viable option.

That leaves two operational players, with three distinct plans:

Full comparison table

Bonus abolished: the virtual battery is even more competitive

Before June 2026, choosing the virtual battery meant giving up the EDF OA bonus (up to 720 € for 9 kWp). That opportunity cost is now zero. The comparison between EDF OA and the virtual battery rests solely on the buy-back rate versus valuation at grid prices.

With the current EDF OA rate of 1.1 c€/kWh (ministerial order of 1 June 2026, indexed +2%/year), surplus is paid very little by EDF OA. The virtual battery values that same surplus at around 10 c€/kWh net (electricity price minus delivery fees and taxes): so it values your surplus far better.

An honest financial return calculation: virtual battery vs EDF OA

Let us take a realistic example: a 6 kWp installation in Lyon (1,300 kWh/kWp/year). Annual generation: 7,098 kWh. Direct self-consumption: 45% (3,194 kWh), a realistic rate without a physical battery. Surplus exported: 55% (3,904 kWh). The household consumes 7,000 kWh/year, so it still buys 3,806 kWh from the grid, and that is the ceiling on what the virtual battery can return to it (it only returns what you consume). Reference grid price: 0.2001 €/kWh (EDF regulated “tarif bleu” as of 1 August 2026).

Cumulative comparison, year by year

* The 299 € Urban Solar activation fee is deducted in year 1: it is the only year in which EDF OA keeps the advantage. From year 2, the virtual battery earns about 340 € per year against 44 € for selling the surplus. Simulator calculation: electricity price +3%/year, buy-back rate +2%/year, return capped at the kWh still being bought. Optimistic assumption to keep in mind: the cap is annual, whereas in summer the credit builds up while consumption falls. Your simulation applies this calculation to your own consumption.

Pros and cons at a glance

How to choose: virtual battery, EDF OA or physical battery?

The choice depends on three factors: your eligibility for EDF OA, the French feed-in tariff scheme (RGE installer + roof), the volume of annual surplus and how long you intend to keep the installation. The assistant below guides this choice.

To go further on physical batteries, read our article Solar storage battery 2026: prices, brands and financial return. For the available financial support, read our guide Financial support for solar panels 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Order of 1 June 2026

Tariff order abolishing the self-consumption bonus and setting the buy-back rate at 1.1 c€/kWh indexed +2%/year. The order of 6 Oct. 2021 (art. 13) on the incompatibility between the bonus and a virtual battery is now no longer in force.

CRE

Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie, the French energy regulator. Since the order of 1 June 2026, the self-consumption bonus has been abolished. The CRE publishes the buy-back tariffs for photovoltaic surplus.

DIY

Do It Yourself: a self-installed solar system, without an RGE installer. Compatible with Urban Solar Energy; not compatible with the EDF OA offer.

EDF OA

EDF Obligation d'Achat: the single-window scheme that buys back photovoltaic surplus. Since 1 June 2026, the surplus buy-back rate has been 0.011 €/kWh (1.1 c€/kWh), indexed +2%/year.

EMS

Energy Management System: automatically controls loads (heat pump, water heater, EV charger) according to real-time solar generation.

kWp

Kilowatt-peak: the peak power of a photovoltaic installation under standard conditions. Determines the amount of the self-consumption bonus.

Virtual kWh

Unit of account in a virtual battery system: 1 kWh exported to the grid credits an account with the operator, which can be returned later less grid fees.

Heat pump (PAC)

Pompe à chaleur: a high-efficiency heating and cooling appliance, ideally controlled by an EMS to absorb the daytime solar surplus.

Self-consumption bonus

Abolished by the ministerial order of 1 June 2026. It used to be paid in year 1 by EDF OA under a CRE scale (up to 80 €/kWp). Incompatible with the virtual battery (order of 6 Oct. 2021, art. 13).

RGE

Reconnu Garant de l'Environnement: installer certification mandatory to access EDF OA and tax incentives. Not required for Urban Solar Energy (DIY accepted).

TURPE grid charge

Tarif d'Utilisation des Réseaux Publics d'Électricité (public electricity grid usage tariff): a component charged when virtual kWh are returned (~9.4 c€ incl. VAT/kWh in 2026 for low voltage ≤ 36 kVA).

EV

Electric vehicle: can serve as storage via V2H if fitted with bidirectional charging (CHAdeMO or ISO 15118-20 standard).