France’s new PV installations hit 3.15 GW in 2023

The French solar market grew by around 30% in 2023, reaching 3.15 GW, according to new data from Enedis. PV systems for self-consumption accounted for around one-third of all new capacity additions.

France deployed around 921 MW of new PV systems in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to new figures released by French grid operator Enedis. For all of 2023, the country added 3,135 MW of new solar capacity.

The results represent a 30% increase from 2022 when around 2.6 GW of solar was installed. In 2021, the nation added 2.8 GW of new PV capacity.

Enedis said the figures for 2023 are provisional, so the total could be higher. The grid operator said that one-third of the capacity installed last year, or around 1,122 MW, came from PV systems under the national self-consumption scheme. It noted that self-consumption PV capacity almost doubled to reach 2,256 MW.

“The results of this year must be recognized and supported,” said Daniel Bour, president of Enerplan, the French solar association. “2024 will, logically, amplify these results, following the new regulatory provisions, with an objective that we expect to be well above 4 GW.”