The French solar market will reach a volume of nearly 5 GW connected by 2024, but this promising dynamic could stall.

The following conclusions can be drawn:

• The connection volume in the 4th quarter of 2024 stands at 1.586 MW[1], up compared to the volume of the 3rd quarter of 2024 (1.351 MW). The capacity connected during the year 2024 amounts to 4.914 MW.
• Compared to the previous quarter, this 4rd quarter is marked:
  • by a slight drop in the “self-consumption” segment (total or partial), with almost 59.540 installations connected,
  • by a slight increase in the domestic installations segment (<36 kW), with 317 MW connected,
  • by a drop in the medium roof segment (36 to 100 kW), with 61 MW connected,
  • by a very strong increase in the large roof segment (100 to 500 kW), with a connected volume of 595 MW, which constitutes an absolute record,
  • by a drop in the segment of very large roofs (500 kW to 1 MW), with a connected volume of 14 MW,
  • by an increase in the large installations segment (500 kW and over), with 614 MW connected (excluding RTE data),
• The share of photovoltaic electricity in gross electricity consumption in France reached 4,9% in the 4th quarter of 2024.
• The queue on the distribution network is marked by a slight increase compared to the previous quarter (data not available for projects on the transmission network) and the stock of projects reaches 25,35 GW at the end of this 4th quarter of 2024.
• With the market price of electricity having returned to around €45/MWh, there is a very moderate impact on public charges in all segments.

For Hadrien Clément, new President of France Territoire Solaire: "With nearly 5 GW of solar projects connected in 2024, France reaches 23 GW of total installed capacity. This momentum, which corresponds to the low trajectory of the PPE (54 GW in 2030), could however stall in the coming years, as a result of the significant uncertainties weighing on the sector and in particular on its two segments that provide the most volume: rooftops of 100 to 500 kWp, faced with the elimination of the tariff window, and ground-mounted solar power plants, a significant part of whose project potential could be reduced if the bill of MP Pascal Lecamp, currently under review in the National Assembly, is adopted. In this context fraught with threats, the solar industry can count on the new version of the France Territoire Solaire Observatory, enriched with new analyses, to help objectify the debate and inform public decisions."

For Antoine HUARD, former President of France Territoire Solaire: "This work by France Territoire Solaire is more essential than ever: while the time has come for me to pass on the torch of the association's presidency, I will remain fully committed to its work in the service of a sector so essential to the decarbonization of our economy and the energy sovereignty of our country. I extend my warmest congratulations to Hadrien Clément, the new president of France Territoire Solaire!"

[1] NB: without RTE data not available. ENEDIS data have been supplemented with data relating to self-consumption without injection and have been consolidated, which leads to variations from one quarter to another and from one publication to another.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.