The European Commission has endorsed three solar and hydropower support schemes in France under EU state aid rules, considering that these schemes will allow France to develop around 2,600 MW of additional solar capacity and 60 MW of additional hydropower capacity.
The approved schemes consist of the following measures:
- A solar scheme providing for the payment of a feed-in tariff to operators of small-scale (less than 500 kW) rooftop solar installations; this scheme is planned to develop around 1500 MW in additional solar capacity;
- A solar support scheme for operators of larger solar installations (over 100 kW) with a feed-in tariff over twenty years. France selected the beneficiaries of this scheme under tenders conducted between July 2011 and March 2013. This scheme is planned to develop around 1100 MW in additional solar capacity;
- A hydropower support scheme that will grant support for up to 60 MW of new hydropower plants. The beneficiaries will be selected through a tender. Plants with a capacity of less than 500 kW may receive a feed-in tariff while bigger installations will receive their support in the form of a top-up payment or 'feed-in premium', which will fluctuate depending on the market price for electricity.
The two solar schemes together have a provisional budget of €439m/year (or a total of €8.8bn over 20 years) and the hydropower scheme has a provisional budget of €25m/year (or a total of €500mi over 20 years). These measures will help France achieve its 2020 target of producing 23% of its energy needs from renewable sources.
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