France reports 66.7 per cent increase in solar power generation

• 11 years ago (2013-01-29)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Nuclear 640 Renewables 752

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According to the 2012 French Electricity Report published last week by France’s transmission system operator Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE), photovoltaic systems generated 4 TWh in 2012. This corresponds to a 66.7 per cent increase in solar power output compared to 2011.

In comparison with other types of energy, solar accounted for 0.79 per cent of France’s electricity demand in 2012. The report adds that cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity in France has now reached 3.5 GW, of which 1.022 GW were installed last year.

Overall, the share of renewable energy in France’s energy mix increased to 16.4 per cent, which is the highest value recorded for 5 years. Meanwhile, nuclear generation was down by 3.8 per cent compared with 2011. However, nuclear still accounts for 74.8 per cent of total energy generation.

French President Francois Hollande declared that his aim was to reduce the weight of nuclear power from 75 per cent to 50 per cent of the national electricity output by 2025. A part of this reduction will see the implementation of a new national solar strategy in the coming months. Earlier this January, the French government also unveiled new measures, which introduced a doubling of the annual 500 MW installation target to a minimum of 1 GW in 2013.