France brings live 246 MW of solar parks in Q1

France added 246 MW of fresh solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the first quarter of 2018, bringing cumulative grid-connected installations to 8,299 MW.

The capacity additions in January-March jumped by 186% from the same period of 2017, when only 86 MW of solar parks were brought online, according to data released on Friday by the French Ministry of Ecology. By number, new solar plants in the first quarter stood at 5,127, against 4,447 in the year-ago period. Almost two-thirds of the newly-commissioned plants have capacities of at least 250 kW.

With 1.6 TWh, PV power supplied 1.1% of the electricity demand in France over the three months. Solar generation in the period under review rose by 12% in annual terms.

Of the total 8,299 MW of solar parks, some 386 MW are located in overseas territories, while 7,913 MW are in the French mainland. Of all operational PV parks in the country, around 4,388 MW are facilities larger than 250 kW.

Under its Plan de programmation pluriannuelle de l'Energie, or PPE, France aims to reach an installed solar power capacity of 10,200 MW by end-2018 and 20,200 by 2023. The country is holding six 500-MW tenders between 2017 and 2020 in order to reach the objective.

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