France

France’s Association Environnement Juste has proposed a storage mandate for renewables projects exceeding 10 kWp in order to integrate flexibility at the source. The association argues European sodium-ion batteries could present an economically and environmentally viable solution, capable of stabilizing grids without depending on imported metals.

A study of 20 solar parks in southern France found that soil biodiversity and respiration drop significantly under panels, especially in mown areas, while plant traits like height and leaf area can increase under grazing. The researchers highlighted that climate, management type, and solar shading all shape soil and plant responses.

France’s energy regulator has reduced feed-in tariffs (FITs) for PV systems up to 100 kW for the April to July 2026 period, with lower rates across all segments and reduced compensation for surplus electricity.

France’s energy regulator plans to link PV support to storage as negative power prices increase and reduce solar revenues.

France’s solar recycling body has selected Envie 2E, Galloo, Rosi, RVE, and First Solar to manage rising volumes of end-of-life panels, with combined capacity exceeding 45,000 metric tons (MT) per year.

An Algerian research team has developed a smart water-spray cooling system for PV panels that activates only when temperatures exceed a set threshold, boosting efficiency while minimizing water use in desert conditions. The system raised power output and reduced module temperatures, offering similar efficiency to continuous cooling but with far lower water consumption, pump operation, and costs.

February marked an early 2026 turning point in France’s electricity market, with negative prices emerging for the first time, intraday volatility spiking, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) capturing growing revenue opportunities.

French solar manufacturer Heliup has raised €16 million ($18.6 million) to scale production of lightweight solar panels designed for commercial and industrial rooftops with low load-bearing capacity.

The new heterojunction solar module concept is based on co-extruded EVA/POE/EVA (EPE) encapsulant with UV downshifting (UV-DS) films, which convert harmful UV light into blue light, protecting cells and slightly boosting short-circuit current by 1.5–1.75%.

France’s Engie has introduced Enermap, a free online platform that lets users evaluate the potential for solar, wind, hydroelectric, biogas, and battery projects at the municipal and regional level using government and research data.