France deployed more than 2 GW of PV in first nine months of 2021

From pv magazine France

France's Ministry of Ecological Transition has published new statistics for solar and wind energy deployment for the third quarter of 2021. The good news for the sector is that newly deployed solar power in the first nine months of the year totaled 2,034 MW, which compares to 761 MW in the same period of 2020.

This year's growth is explained by an increase in the number of connections but also by a high share of utility-scale solar installations. Around 65% of the new connected power corresponds to installations bigger than 250 kW, which represent less than 1% of the number of new connections. Small-sized installations, less than 9 kW, represent nearly 83% of the number of newly connected units and around 7% of the installed capacity.

The aggregate capacity of queued solar projects with a grid-connection request has increased by 18% since the start of the year to 10.6 GW, including 3 GW with a signed connection agreement.

As of September 30, 2021, the country's cumulative installed solar capacity reached 13,231 MW, including 12,583 MW in mainland France.

Since the start of 2021, solar PV production has stood at 12.5 TWh, compared to 11.4 TWh for the same period in 2020. Solar power generation represents 3.7% of French electricity consumption, up slightly compared to the 3.5% in the previous year.

In geographic terms, the regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand Est, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur account for 68% of the newly connected power in the territory during the period. These are the regions with the highest installed capacities, representing 67% of the cumulative power connected in France at the end of September 2021.