Solar Market Overview France 2025

Rooftop vs. Ground-Mounted Growth, Tender Dynamics & Structural Challenges

France added 4.6 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, pushing its total to 22.1 GW. With ambitious targets set for 2030 and beyond, the country is ramping up ground-mounted and rooftop tenders, but faces critical headwinds in permitting, land availability, and price volatility. This article outlines key policy shifts, market segmentation, tender outcomes, and systemic challenges shaping the French solar landscape.

Introduction

Solar capacity deployment

France’s solar energy market has experienced a robust upward trend in annual installed capacity in recent years. In 2024 alone, the country added 4.6 GW of new solar capacity, bringing its cumulative total to 22.1 GW.1 This growth shows no signs of slowing. According to SolarPower Europe, France’s operational solar capacity could reach 52 GW by 2028, implying an additional 30 GW of installations over the next four years.2

If this trajectory continues, France will be on track to nearly reach the revised 2030 target of 54 GW outlined in the country’s upcoming Multi-Year Energy Program (PPE3).3 The draft of PPE3 proposes lowering France’s 2035 solar PV goal from the previously set range of 75-100 GW to a revised 65-90 GW. 

To meet these targets, France will rely heavily on structured tendering procedures. Beginning in the first half of 2025, the government plans to launch two annual tenders for ground-mounted solar projects, each awarding 1 GW of capacity. In parallel, three rooftop solar tenders per year are scheduled, with each round targeting approximately 300 MW. Complementing these will be an annual 500 MW technology-neutral auction, open to solar, onshore wind, and hydropower projects, encouraging diverse renewable deployment.