France allocates 300 MW in C&I rooftop PV tender

France’s Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition has announced the winners of the 12th round of tenders for C&I rooftop solar systems for the 2021-26 period, with capacities above 500 kW.

The authorities allocated 300.2 MW of solar through the procurement exercise to 326 projects at an average final price of €0.082 ($0.93)/kWh.

The results of the tender confirm the downward trend in costs for this segment. The latest call for proposals attracted strong interest, with 1,159 applications submitted for a total of 1,560 MW, representing more than five times the allocated capacity.

The momentum was largely driven by small-scale projects: installations below 1 MW accounted for 70% of applications, up from 50% in the previous period, and 81% of awarded projects. Rooftop installations dominated the selected capacity mix, representing 62% of the total, followed by “other” installations (17%) and agrivoltaic projects (13%). Geographically, Nouvelle-Aquitaine secured the largest share of awarded capacity (22%), ahead of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (18%) and Occitanie (15%).

The French authorities also highlighted the sector’s continued reliance on imported modules, particularly from China. DMEGC Solar and Jinko Solar together accounted for more than half of the awarded volumes, with respective shares of 35.7% and 16.2%. One project using modules from French manufacturer Voltec Solar was also selected.

In the 11th tender, the French government awarded 300.9 MW of solar through the procurement exercise to 129 projects at an average final price of €0.09648/kWh.

In the previous tender of the same kind, finalized in June, the allocated capacity was 191 MW and the final average price was €0.0953/kWh.

The ninth tender delivered a capacity of 220 MW and the final average price of €0.0982/kWh.

In the nation’s eighth tender, the ministry awarded 253.3 MW of solar capacity to 31 developers at an average final price of €0.09995/kWh, falling short of its planned 300 MW allocation.

In the seventh tender in July 2024, the ministry allocated 179.9 MW at an average price of €0.1016/kWh. The sixth tender in March assigned 362.2 MW at €0.1021/kWh.

In the sixth tender, held in March 2024, the ministry assigned 362.2 MW at an average final price of €0.1021/kWh.