From pv magazine France

From pv magazine France

From pv magazine France

From pv magazine France

In France, the workforce of the BayWa re Solar Systems subsidiary has doubled in two years to reach 100 people today, with 10 new positions currently open for recruitment.

From pv magazine France

From pv magazine France

The French Ministry of Ecological Transition has published the results of the fourth round of the Programmation Pluriannuelle de l'Energie PPE2 ground-mounted PV tender series. A total capacity of 1,519 MW, the largest volume awarded since the French energy regulator Commission de régulation de l'énergie (CRE) began holding the tenders, was awarded to 129 projects.

The tender was open to PV projects ranging in size from 500 kW to 5 MW. The minimum carbon footprint was set at 200 kg CO2 eq/kW and the maximum at 550 kg CO2 eq/kW. The commissioning time was increased from 24—30 months.

The procurement exercise concluded with an average price of €0.0824 ($0.0868) per kWh. According to consulting firm Finergreen, 39 developers were identified among the winners and 22 secured less than 20 MW.

CRE will hold the next tender on Nov. 20, 2023, with a volume of 925 MW.

Last April, the French government announced the launch of a tender for 1.5 GW of ground-mounted PV and another tender for 800 MW of rooftop capacity, in order to compensate for the high failure rate of the third round of tenders for large-scale PV plants.

The mentioned C&I rooftop PV tender was concluded with average price of €0.10195 (US$ 0.1074)/kWh.

From pv magazine France

Norway-based renewable energy company Scatec has completed construction on two solar power plants coupled with battey storage in Maroua and Guider, in northern Cameroon.

From pv magazine France

French agrivoltaics specialist TSE has built a 2.9 MW agrivoltaic power plant equipped with an irrigation system intended to improve water management on large crops.

“On the plot, the plants have particularly suffered from thermal and water stress in recent years, with strong thermal amplitudes and especially long periods without water which have impacted plant growth and yields, particularly in wheat and potatoes,” said Benoît Bougler, the farmer at the site. “I was looking for solutions to adapt to climate change and irrigated agrivoltaics is one of the possible answers.”

From pv magazine France

Q Energy has started building the “Les Ilots Blandin” floating solar plant in Haute-Marne, France. The renewable energy producer said that it will be the largest floating PV project in Europe upon completion.

It was originally supposed to have a capacity of 66 MW, but Q Energy said it was later able to expand this to 74.3 MW, thanks to the design of the floats.

The construction process is expected to last approximately 18 months, with commissioning scheduled for the first quarter of 2025. A consortium of companies made up of Solutions 30 Sud-Ouest, Ciel et Terre International, and Perpetum Energy will build and operate the plant.

Q Energy secured the project in a tender by CRE, the French energy regulator, in August 2022. It will be built on an artificial lake at a former gravel pit owned by the Etablissements Blandin.

Q Energy will deploy 134,649 modules across six islands anchored on the banks or at the bottom of the flooded pits. The company said that the floating structures are manufactured in France an the materials used are designed to minimize the impact on the environment.

Since 2018, Q Energy France, headquartered in Avignon, has been developing floating solar projects in areas where former quarries existed. It currently has a floating PV development pipeline of more than 300 MW.

From pv magazine France

French grid operator Enedis says that all PV systems installed under France's self-consumption regime reached a combined capacity of 960 MW at the end of June, from just 347 MW a year earlier.

At the end of June, around 326,000 PV systems had been deployed under the scheme, with approximately 10,200 installations connected to battery storage.

Enedis said there are currently 400 energy communities registered for self-consumption in France. Among these, 246 are already operational, serving 3,732 users, and collectively have a capacity of 16.7 MW. It also noted that the capacity of PV systems exceeding 10 kW more than doubled in the first six months of this year.

During the first half of 2023, the power connected for self-consumption projects of less than 36 kW nearly matched the volume connected for all of 2022. Over the course of six months, almost 86,000 new self-consumers were connected, compared to just over 90,000 in the previous year.

From pv magazine France

CNR is leading a consortium in the development of “Ombrières PHotovoltaïquE grand LIneAire”, a solar shading project along the ViaRhôna cycling route in southern France's Caderousse department, alongside the Rhône River.

The pilot project aims to evaluate the integration of a PV facility into the landscape and assess its energy performance. The project partners include French cable supplier Nexans, Schneider Electric, railway operator SNCF, and the SuperGrid Institute.

The PV system will span 900 meters in length and have an installed capacity of 900 kW. It will consist of 30 shaded structures with west-east oriented solar panels.

The consortium will conduct tests on the system's overall architecture and the equipment needed for transporting medium voltage direct current (MVDC) electricity to the delivery point. Construction and testing are scheduled for the 2025-28 period, following a three-year phase of engineering studies, research and development (R&D), and prototyping.

“Direct current represents a new technological horizon in medium voltage after more than a hundred years of development in alternating current,” said Christophe Prévé, chief technical officer of medium voltage offers at Schneider Electric. “It should allow better integration into the networks of certain applications such as the installation of large photovoltaic linear arrays, promoting significant development of renewable energies while avoiding the artificialization of land.”

One of the project's challenges will be minimizing electrical losses due to the long length of the cables, in order to allow the development of projects longer than 20 km.

“By experimenting with the use of solar panels on a large length, the project is paving the way for the enhancement of the surroundings of railway lines,” said Carole Desnost, vice-president of technologies, innovation and projects for SNCF.

In July, the railroad operator launched a subsidiary, SNCF Renewables, to develop 1 GW of solar power by 2030.

From pv magazine France

France's Ministry of Ecological Transition has reported that around 1,378 MW of new PV systems were connected to the French grid in the January-June period.

In the same period a year earlier, the country added 1,233 MW of new PV capacity. Full-year installations hit 2.4 GW of new solar in 2022

France reached 18.03 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity at the end of June 2023.

The regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and Grand Est accounted for 67% of all newly connected capacity in the first half of this year. They are the regions with the highest installed capacities, representing more than 73% of all cumulative power connected in France by the end of June.

The aggregate capacity of queued solar projects with grid-connection requests, meanwhile, has increased by 19% since the start of this year to 20.1 GW, including 4.9 GW with signed connection agreements.

From pv magazine France

France’s Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition has announced the winners of the fifth round of tenders for C&I rooftop PV systems for the 2021-26 period, with capacities above 500 kW. The authorities allocated 378 MW of solar through the procurement exercise to 60 developers at an average final price of €0.10195/kWh.

In the fourth tender, the ministry had allocated only 57.6 MW across 16 projects at an average final price of €0.10452/kWh. In the third tender, the allocated capacity was 89.9 MW, with an average final price of €0.090951/kWh. In the second tender, the assigned power was 122 MW, with an average final price of €0.08257/kWh.

In geographical terms, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is at the top of the ranking with 65.93 MW, followed by the Center Val de Loire region (56.44 MW), Occitanie (50.61 MW), and Auvergne Rhône Alpes (48.47 MW).

Technique Solaire was the developer that secured the largest capacity – 79.73 MW – followed by Urbasolar (38.38 MW) and Reden (36.75 MW).

From pv magazine France

Amidst an ongoing heatwave in southern France, Sun'Agri, a French agrivoltaics specialist, has released its latest findings on the impacts of its technology on water resource management.

The company conducted an analysis on the effects of solar panels on apple, cherry, and nectarine trees across three sites in La Pugère, Etoile sur Rhône, and Loriol, southern France. The study demonstrated that the PV installations reduced temperature and increased relative humidity for the crops underneath the panels during hot weather, compared to reference areas without protection.

At the La Pugère site, shading from the panels resulted in a decrease of air temperature by 3.8 C and an increase in relative humidity of up to 14% between 2019 and 2021. On average, July temperatures were lowered by 1.2 C, and relative humidity increased by 2% over the same period.

The company also found that the agrivoltaic system contributed to water conservation, with irrigation inputs being up to 30% lower compared to reference areas (average reduction of 22% between 2019 and 2021). The reduction in irrigation was observed using flow meters installed along irrigation pipes. Control trees received more irrigation water to maintain water comfort.

The study also showed that water availability in the soil decreased less under the agrivoltaic structure. This effect was attributed to the microclimate regulation in the shade of the panels, which provided favorable conditions for the plants and reduced transpiration and irrigation.

In addition, Sun'Agri reported that the water status of apple trees under the agrivoltaic structure remained superior to that of the control zone throughout the summer. During daylight hours, the water potential of apple trees under photovoltaic panels remained around 20% higher than that of the reference area, reflecting better water comfort for shaded trees despite reduced water supply.

These findings were supported by various indicators, including a decrease in potential evapotranspiration and a 63% reduction in water stress compared to the reference area, particularly during the intense heatwave in July 2019.

At the Etoile sur Rhône site, where nectarines are cultivated, temperature differences of 2 C to 3 C were recorded on a windless summer day in August 2022. Additionally, the company observed a 25% decrease in irrigation under the agrivoltaic system compared to the control area.

On the Loriol cherry farm, the minimum summer water status under agrivoltaics was around 30% to 40% more favorable than that of the control cherry trees, as measured on Aug. 31, 2022.) was also more favorable under agrivoltaics than that of the control cherry trees by around 30% to 40%.

From pv magazine France

After five years of partnership, French energy company TotalEnergies has bought the remaining interest in independent power producer Total Eren, increasing its stake from nearly 30% to 100%.

TotalEnergies will not fully integrate Total Eren into its renewables business. The transaction follows a strategic agreement between the two companies in 2017, which allowed TotalEnergies to take full control of Total Eren after a period of five years.

According to figures provided by the two companies, Total Eren is valued at €3.8 billion. The acquisition of the 70.8% stake represents a net investment of around €1.5 billion. The integration of Total Eren is expected to result in an approximately €160 million increase in the net operating income of TotalEnergies' Integrated Power segment in 2024.

French renewable energy producer CVE has installed its first RespeeR Flex solar power plant at an industrial site owned by MSA group, a manufacturer of security equipment. The 187 KW installation will cover nearly 10% of the overall consumption of the MSA facility, which is located in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Ain department, France.

The PV system is removable, as its PV modules are placed and ballasted on the ground. CVE said the assembly required only 10 months of work, compared to 24 months for a traditional installation.

“This solution … has greatly facilitated the validation stages within the MSA group,” Christophe Laurent, Maintenance and Infrastructure Manager at MSA, said. “Our group insurer was able to give the green light quickly.”

Businesses that have a land reserve with no short-term use can utilize these small PV plants to produce part of their electricity for a limited period of time. Beyond this date, they can choose to extend their contract or stop it in order to use the land for other purposes.

“In this case, CVE, which owns the fleet of panels, dismantles them and reinstalls them at another customer,” said Pierre de Froidefond, co-founder of CVE. “Today we have five other projects of this type under development and multiple requests.”

From pv magazine France

French environmental agency Soren has published its activity report for 2022.

From pv magazine France

The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) has published a list of prequalified bidders for a tender for the construction of the Noor Midelt 2 power plant. Masen launched the tender in July 2020.

From pv magazine France

French railway operator SNCF said this week that it has set up SNCF Renouvelables, a new clean energy unit.

“Energy consumption costs have more than doubled in 2022 and 2023,” said SNCF president Jean-Pierre Farrandou. “This represents more than €700 million ($764.6 million) just for the energy used for train traction in these two years.”

SNCF already produces its own electricity, with solar panels on the roofs of its stations or in shades, via its subsidiary SNCF Gares et Connexions.

Its SNCF Energie unit has also been piloting a “corporate PPA” program since 2018. It has already signed several PPAs, including one with French energy giant EDF, one with Switzerland's Axpo, and one with French independent power producer Reden.

From pv magazine France

“The necessary development of renewable energies is not without consequences for the electricity system, because the networks must then be able to accommodate this new electricity production,” said Soregies, in reference to a recent warning from French grid operator RTE about potential network congestion issues.

“This solution makes it possible to locally produce 5.3 GWh of additional green energy per year, with no impact on the electricity network,” said Anna Wachowiak, deputy general manager for Sorégies.

CRE, the country's regulator, selected the project in a recent tender for innovative renewable energy projects.

From pv magazine France

Volkswagen Group France (VGF), a unit of German automaker Volkswagen, has commissioned a PV plant on a carport at its headquarters in Villers-Cotterêts, in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

From pv magazine France

SolarPower Europe says the number of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in residential buildings throughout Europe jumped from 650,000 installations in 2021 to more than 1 million in 2022. This is a sharp rise, largely driven by jump in energy prices since the start of the war in Ukraine. And the number of households that have batteries coupled with solar installations in Europe is expected to triple to 3.5 million by 2026, according to the solar trade group.

Market growth is driven by five countries – Germany, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland – but France is still lagging behind.

“Compared to other countries in which we are present, France remains a niche market,” said Lars Brinkmeyer, international sales manager for German battery manufacturer Kostal, in an interview with pv magazine France.

French market research firm LCP Delta reports that approximately 566,000 homes in France had PV systems by the end of 2022, with  around 2 GW of capacity. Among these systems, only 1,000 were equipped with home storage batteries, with average capacities of 4 kW. In comparison, Germany installed 220,000 new residential batteries in 2022, totaling a combined capacity of 1.2 GW/1.9 GWh, according to data from the University of Aachen.

“In France, electricity prices, which are around €0.20/kWh, remain lower than the levels observed in other European countries,” Arthur Jouannic, France director for LCP Delta, told pv magazine France. “In addition, the government has capped the increase in regulated electricity prices in 2022 at 4%, which has limited the impact of the energy crisis for individuals.”

In addition, the current prices of “solar-plus-battery” systems need to be correlated with the lack of incentives. Business-to-consumer installers quote prices that can reach up to €30,000 ($32,570)  for a 6 kW PV system with a battery.

“As the price of electricity remains low, the return on investment of such a purchase is eight, 10, even 12 years,” said Jouannic. “In addition, interest rates are high, which makes leasing offers unattractive.”

It appears that these high prices exclude rational purchases. Only the wealthiest households wishing to participate in the energy transition tend to equip themselves.

However, Kostal has sensed a shift in the market in recent months.

“This winter, when the French government mentioned possible power cuts, we saw an increase in consumer interest in this type of system,” said Brinkmeyer.

Kostal plans to also launch a new generation of residential inverters by the end of this year, with capacities ranging from 3 kW to 20 kW. They will be scalable and configurable, with or without batteries.

“Thus, if demand in France intensifies, installers can easily add storage batteries to existing photovoltaic installations,” added Brinkmeyer.

Enphase introduced a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage solution in the French market in April. With the expected increase in electricity prices, the US group aims to promote storage solutions to installers and individuals.

“In France, only five out of 100 photovoltaic installations are equipped with a battery,” said Maâty Bouanane, Enphase’s France sales manager, during an interview with pv magazine France in March, noting that in Germany, this rate is 80%. “The French market is therefore in its infancy, but it is the right time to allow installers to familiarize themselves with these technologies, which are very simple to implement.”

“The heat pump market is mature in France, the very extensive offer of distributors and government incentives, via direct aid and tax credits, encourage individuals to equip themselves,” said Jouannic.

LCP Delta expects more than 1 million heat pump installations per year.

“It would seem that developers prefer photovoltaic solar heat pumps for new constructions, because the carbon intensity of electricity in France is not high,” said LCP Delta. “However, in a second step we expect the market for heat pumps in private homes to be a vector of growth for rooftop photovoltaics, asthis coupling is a logical continuation.”

From pv magazine France

The French government has decided to revoke a measure it introduced in November 2020 to retroactively modify FIT contracts signed between 2006 and 2010 for PV plants above 250 kW.

From pv magazine France

EDF Renouvelables, the renewable energy unit of French energy giant EDF, has commissioned its first floating PV plant in France. The 20 MW facility is located on a water surface close to a hydropower dam operated by EDF near Lazer, in the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

“EDF Renewables drew on the expertise it has developed at international level, with four floating solar power plants already constructed in Israel and the USA,” said Bruno Bensasson, EDF Group senior executive vice president, renewable energy.

CRE, the country's regulator, selected the project in a tender held in 2018.

SolarEdge unveiled a tracker solution for the agrivoltaics sector at Intersolar Europe, featuring an algorithm-driven system that adjusts to sunlight and installation needs.

The comprehensive solution, developed with SolarGik, includes mounting structures, inverters, power optimizers, a dedicated tracker per structure, and a monitoring platform.

Arnold Bourges, France sales director for SolarEdge, said that the structure's height allows agricultural machinery to pass by, while the spacing of pillars can be adjusted to minimize the ground footprint. Each structure is independent, enabling panels to be oriented differently based on field location or terrain variations.

SolarEdge is already implementing the technology in major projects throughout the world, although specific details were not provided.

The company has also introduced a storage system for commercial buildings in the C&I solar sector. The DC-coupled system has a 58 kWh capacity and supports indoor use.

It allows the connection of up to eight batteries per inverter, with a total capacity of 464 kWh. The DC-coupled architecture reduces losses compared to AC-coupled alternatives by eliminating two AC-to-DC conversions.

The storage system is expected to become available in the second half of 2024.