Innovation

In June 2018, the French Government launched a national mobilisation plan to speed up the deployment of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy called “Place au soleil”.

Here is an update as at the end of March 2019 on the headline measures relating to photovoltaic energy:

• To increase the size of collective projects for self-consumption

The objective is to broaden the possibilities for carrying out collective self-consumption operations (click here to re-read our article “Photovoltaic energy in buildings: room for local consumption”).

This measure is included in the PACTE Law (the draft law on growth and the transformation of businesses), which has just been adopted.

• The launch of a tender procedure for collective self-consumption projects

This measure is being adopted in the context of the vote on the PACTE Law.

• An increase in the maximum power of projects eligible for the tender procedure

This power has increased from 500 kW to 1 MW in the new specifications.

• The retention of the exemption from property tax when the public domain is equipped with solar panels

This measure has been adopted.

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Furthermore, when this mobilisation plan was launched, a number of stakeholders made the following commitments:

• SNCF: to make 100 hectares of land available in the next 5 years in plots of a minimum of 2 hectares.
• The Mousquetaires group: to install 100 MW (on roofs and in car parks) between now and 2030.
  The LECLERC group: to install 50 hectares of PV modules at its stores’ car parks between now and 2025.
• The Nouveaux Commerçants: to equip 200 stores for self-consumption between now and 2020.
• The Casino group: to produce 300 MW of solar power on its estate.
• The Armed Forces Ministry: to use 2,000 hectares of land for ground-mounted photovoltaic power plants.

Of course, these commitments are not binding; however, they do give us some indication of the scope of the photovoltaic market in the next few years, particularly in the mass retail sector.