According to the latest data released by the French Renewable Energy Trade Association (SER), France’s total installed solar photovoltaic capacity reached the 13.07 GW mark at the end of December 2021. The data is provided by the Association of the Distributors of Electricity in France (ADEeF), Enedis, and RTE.

According to the released data, a total of 761 MW of solar capacity was added in the last quarter (Q4) of the calendar year (CY) 2021, which marked a new record of quarterly installations.

Energy from renewable sources accounted for 25% of the total energy consumption in the country in 2021.

The country is planning to achieve cumulative solar installations of 20.10 GW by the end of 2023, with nearly 3.5 GW of new installations expected each year over the next two years.

The total electricity production from various sources in the country reached 59.78 GW at the end of December 2021.

Nearly 2.4 TWh of solar energy was produced in the last quarter of 2021, and 14.3 TWh for the entire 2021, which marked an increase of 12.6% compared to 2020. This was the first time solar consumption in the country breached the 3% mark of the total energy consumption, which was 2.8% in 2020. From June to August, numbers in excess of 5% were reached in the country.

The country’s total wind installations stood at 18.73 GW at the end of December 2021, with nearly 310 MW of new installations recorded in Q4 2021. The country plans to achieve 24.1 GW of wind installations by 2023, which would mean nearly 2.6 GW of wind installations per year over the next two years.

The electricity generated from wind sources accounted for 10.5 TWh of power in Q4 2021 and 36.8 TWh in 2021, down by 7.2% compared to 2020.

Last December, the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition of France announced the results of its 13th tender round for 324 MW of commercial and industrial rooftop solar capacity. The systems were in the range of 100 kW and 8 MW. The Ministry allocated 211 MW of rooftop solar capacity for projects ranging between 100 kW and 500 kW under Category A.

Earlier, the European Commission had approved a €5.7 billion (~$6.7 billion) aid program to support renewable energy generation from small solar installations located on buildings in France. The program will run until 2026 and be open for operators of small photovoltaic installations located on buildings with a capacity of up to 500 kW.

In September 2020, France had reported 10 GW of total installed solar capacity.