French solar PV installations at the end of 2023 totaled 20,004 MW, according to the country's Données et Etudes Statistiques or Data and Statistical Studies Department (SDES). With this, the country has officially reached the 20.1 GW cumulative PV capacity targeted to be achieved by 2023-end under the country's multi-year energy program (PPE).
The 2023 additions of 3.2 GW, grew by over 18% annually from 2.68 GW it reported for 2022. The country installed the largest chunk of annual deployments during Q4 with 955 MW capacity, having grown from 818 MW in the previous quarter, which is an adjusted figure from 803 MW SDES reported earlier (see France Expands Cumulative Solar PV Capacity To 19 GW).
Of the new deployments last year, 37% of power connections came from systems with over 250 kW capacity, representing 0.2% of new connections.
It was smaller installations of less than 9 kW capacity that accounted for the lion's share with 93% of newly connected units and 24% of the new power capacity.
The year also saw Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions accounting for 48% of the newly connected power with 416 MW, 609 MW, 510 MW, respectively.
At the end of 2023, the number of projects in queue increased by 33% since the beginning of the year with a combined 22.4 GW capacity. This comprises 5.8 GW with signed grid-connection agreements.
Under the PPE, France aims to grow to a cumulative minimum of 35.1 GW by the end of 2028, and a maximum of 44 GW.
In November 2023, under the country's revised NECP, the Energy Ministry said France will aim to install 7 GW of solar PV/year to meet a 60 GW cumulative target by 2030, to reach an eventual 100 GW by 2035. The 100 GW target has been pulled forward from 2050 earlier (see France Aims For 60 GW Solar PV Capacity By 2030).