During 2017, photovoltaic solar installations produced 9.2 TWh, an increase of more than 13% year on year. Photovoltaic solar energy represented 1.9% of consumption. In addition, at the end of 2017, the total capacity of electricity generation from renewable energy in France amounted to 47,525 MW, representing 92% of the 2018 target set in the PPE (Programmation Pluriannuelle de l’Energie).
The feed-in-tariff systems (bonuses), auctions and tax benefits have resulted in the boom of renewable energy in France continue to grow at a great pace. Similarly, cooling and heat installations through renewable sources are getting subsidies, tax rebates and 0% interest loans.
As for the regulatory frame, the use of the grid for the transmission of renewable energy in France is subject to a single general energy legislation. There are no special provisions for electricity from renewable sources. As for heating and air conditioning, the public distribution of heat from renewable energy in France is the responsibility of local or regional authorities.
This is how the photovoltaic energy market works in France
On the one hand, for photovoltaic plants of less than 100 kW there is a feed-in-tariff system. According to estimates of the Ministry of Energy, 5,000 French citizens self-generate their own energy. Since the French government considers this number to be quite low, in 2015 it presented the “Law for Energy Transition and Green Growth“, in a gesture of government support for the self-consumption of electricity. On the other hand, for larger plants, there is an auction system. The multi-year energy programming provides for periodic tender procedures for the following application segments up to 2019:
- Large solar plants: 2 calls per year until 2019; with a total auction capacity of 1,000 MW per year.
- Rooftop solar installations: 3 calls per year until 2019; with a total auction capacity of 450 MW per year.
- The conditions for submitting offers are described in the invitation to tender (Art. L311-10, Code l’Énergie).
Some data
According to data published in September by the Syndicat Des Énergies Renouvelables,renewable electricity accounted for 18.9% of electricity consumption in the last quarter of 2017.
The total power of photovoltaic solar installations connected to the grid at the end of September amounted to 7,239 MW, with 170 MW connected during the third quarter.
The total power of photovoltaic solar installations connected to the grid at the end of September amounted to 7,239 MW, with 170 MW connected during the third quarter. This dynamic reflects the first effects, which will be accentuated in the coming periods, due to the bids planned under the PPE (Programmation Pluriannuelle de l’Energie).
During a renewable year, photovoltaic solar installations produced 9.2 TWh, an increase of more than 13% compared to the previous period. Photovoltaic solar energy accounted for 1.9% of consumption during this period and the French solar fleet reached 71% of the targets set by the sector for 2018.
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