French Electricity Transmission Network (RTE) has confirmed the country will not be able to achieve its solar PV target of 10.2 GW by the end of 2018. At the end of September 2018, France connected a total of 8,374 MW to the grid, with Q3/2018 additions being a mere 213 MW.
However, RTE said, "With production of 3.9 TWh in the third quarter of 2018 (+31% compared to the third quarter of 2017) and a consumption coverage rate of 3.9%, the solar sector is breaking its record of quarterly consumption coverage. Over the last 12 months, 10.2 TWh have been produced and photovoltaic solar energy has covered 2.1% of France's metropolitan consumption."
As per the agency, around 200 MW to 300 MW have been connected quarterly in the country in 2018 on an average with the total installed capacity between January 2018 to September 2018 being 720 MW, which will not be enough to reach the 10.2 GW number. In fact, if France installs in Q4 as little as in Q3, it will again miss the 1 GW level in 2018.
Since 2016, the highest quarterly installations of 413 MW were reported in Q4/2017. The Q3/2018 number of 213 MW was even less than last quarter's 259 MW, as per data released by RTE.
Wind, hydropower, PV and bioenergy all together connected 565 MW of new installations to the grid taking the total share of renewables to 50,188 MW.
In November 2018, PV won all the capacity France auctioned in a joint tender with wind power technology (see Solar Beat Onshore Wind To Win 200 MW In France).