France proposes to cut FiTs and push tenders

September 18, 2012
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy and the Ministry of Productive Recovery has released a report detailing long-term operational recommendations and proposals for structural reforms to the renewables industry. The government will make a decision based on this report at a later unspecified date.

The report suggests that renewables – in particular, solar PV and wind energy – have an intermittent nature, thereby negating the efficacy of a feed-in tariff. However, the report states implicitly that this should not deter the government from generating electricity from PV and wind, but instead find a new method of financial investment – namely by holding annual tenders.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The report suggests gradually reducing the FiT over five years. It also encourages France to cooperate with Germany on research and development issues.

The Minister of ecology, sustainable development and energy, Delphine Batho, also announced the results of two tenders for solar plants in July, expected to generate a cumulative investment of nearly €1 billion within the next two years and provide enough energy to meet the demands of 150,000 homes.
 

Read Next

March 6, 2026
French energy major TotalEnergies has initiated pilot operations of the first generating unit at its 1GW solar farm in Iraq’s Basra region.
March 6, 2026
US solar manufacturer Silfab Solar has disputed some reports of chemical spillages at its manufacturing facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
March 6, 2026
Origis Energy has secured US$545 million in financing for three utility-scale solar projects with a combined capacity of 413MW in Texas.
March 6, 2026
Spanish independent power producer (IPP) Zelestra has begun the construction of 253MWdc Echols Grove and 188MWdc Cedar Range projects in Texas.
March 6, 2026
Silfab solar has paused operations at its module manufacturing plant in South Carolina following chemical spills.
March 6, 2026
Portland General Electric (PGE) has finalised agreements for more than 1,000MW of new renewable energy and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the US state of Oregon.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain