On Friday 27 August, the European Commission authorised €5.7 billion in French aid scheme to support the production of renewable electricity by small solar installations on the roofs of buildings.
This measure will help France meet its target of producing the equivalent of 33% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030, and will contribute to the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050, without unduly distorting competition.
For Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice-President for Competition Policy, this aid complements another French aid scheme for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, which the European Commission authorised last month in the amount of €30.5 billion (see EUROPE 12770/12).
The French scheme, which will run until 2026, will be available to operators of small photovoltaic installations on buildings, with a maximum capacity of 500 kW. These installations will be eligible for support in the form of feed-in tariffs for 20 years. The level of feed-in tariffs will vary based on the size of the plant and its business model: some plants feed all their production into the grid, while others consume part of the electricity they produce.
With this measure, France aims to increase the capacity of solar renewable energy by an additional 3,700 MW. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)