Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Solar Country Notes

France
By end-2005 France (including its overseas departments [DOM]) had a total installed PV capacity of 33 043 kWp, of which 13 844 kWp was off-grid domestic, 6 232 kWp off-grid non-domestic and 12 967 kWp grid-connected distributed. Metropolitan France accounted for almost 49% of total PV capacity and about 42% of PV output. The annual average increase in capacity between 2000 and 2005 was about 24%.

The principal sources of subsidies for PV installations in France are ADEME (Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie: the body charged with promoting renewable energy), the regional councils and the European Commission.

An Arrêté dated 7 July 2006 specifies the following new targets for PV installations: an additional 160 MW by 2010 and an additional 500 MW (including the 160) by 2015.

The French feed-in tariff for PV electricity was updated by an Arrêté dated 10 July 2006 (€ 0.30 to 0.55/kWh), for installations with a capacity of below 12 MW.

Solar thermal output in 2005 is reported to have been 1 632 TJ, of which 941 was in metropolitan France. The total glazed area of solar thermal collectors in operation in 2005 was 396 000 m², giving an output capacity of about 277 MWt.

The Loi POPE of 13 July 2005 specifies a target of 200 000 solar water-heaters and 50 000 solar roofs per annum in 2010.

All solar equipment benefits from an increase in the tax credit to 50% from 1 January 2006.