At the end of September 2020, the cumulative installed renewable energy capacity of France reached 55.31 GW having increased 2.385 GW during the last 12 months. Out of 604 MW of new installations added in mainland France during Q3/2020, solar PV added 283 MW, while wind power added 312 MW, among other clean energy sources.
According to the numbers shared by French renewable energy association SER, total installed solar PV capacity in mainland France till the end of September 2020 exceeded 10 GW to a total of 10.201 GW.
According to the French government's Données et études statistiques or Data and Statistical Studies (SDES) between the first 2 quarters of 2020, aggregate installed solar power capacity of France reached 10.27 GW, comprising 9.677 GW in mainland France (see France Added 379 MW New Solar Capacity In H1/2020 & see France Exceeds 10 GW Solar PV Capacity Milestone)
SER believes over the last 12 months, France has added 827 MW of total solar PV capacity to the grid. Within the last 3 months, solar power generated 4.46 TWh.
"In order to meet the objectives of the energy transition to increase to 40% the share of renewable energies, the electricity mix in 2030, the transmission and distribution networks continue to evolve to allow the integration of renewable electricity production, while guaranteeing the safety and security of the system electrical power, as well as the quality of consumer power," stated SER.
Renewables see a promising future in France since the federal government has allocated €30 billion to ecological transition including green hydrogen under its stimulus package to rebuild the economy from the impacts of COVOD-19 pandemic (see France Allocates €30 Billion For Ecological Transition).
Specifically for solar PV, the government recently introduced 2 new support measures to increase installations for this technology aiming to encourage the breed of prosumers (see New French Policy To Back Solar PV Installations).