French government confirms FIT of €0.098/kWh for PV systems up to 500 kW

From pv magazine France

Barbara Pompili, the French minister of the ecological transition, took advantage of the inauguration of a 20.3 MW solar park on Oct. 4 in Essonne department, in the French region of Île-de-France, to comment on long-expected provisions to introduce a fixed feed-in tariff (FIT) for all PV systems up to 500 kW in size. The move could potentially change the French PV market, after several years of slow development.

Pompili confirmed that rumors have been circulating about FIT levels in the PV sector in recent months.

‘”Our goal is to make the implementation of projects as easy and quick as possible,” she said. “With this decree, all projects of less than 500 kW will be directly entitled to a feed-in tariff of €98 (113.40)/MWh, without having to go through tenders.”

She said the new provisions will help developers to install solar panels more easily on large rooftops, which should limit the consumption of floor space. “I know that many projects are ready,” she saod. “With these new measures, they will be able to materialize quickly.”

Hiowever, the solar industry will need to wait until the decree is published in France's official journal to get more details about the plan.

The minister also said that building-integrated PV projects will be granted a bonus on top of the FIT.

“The aim is to encourage those who are still hesitant to install solar panels on their roofs to take the plunge,” Pompili said. “And this is all the more interesting, as we have companies in France that manufacture solar tiles.”

The plan to introduce the new tariffs was approved by the European Commission in early September. The new rules include cost reductions for the grid connection of PV systems not exceeding 500 kW in size, and the solarization of new buildings.

From Jan. 1, 2023, new commercial and industrial buildings – as well as warehouses and hangars spanning more than 500 m², and office buildings occuping more than 1,000 m² of space, will be required to solarize 30% of their surface. As of Jan. 1, 2024, new car parking areas spanning more than 500 m² will have to solarize 50% of their surface.

The law also includes plans to streamline the authorization process for installing solar power plants on wasteland in coastal areas. It will also facilitate the possibility of launching calls for tenders for large-scale storage and hydrogen projects in metropolitan France.