Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Renewable energy in France - statistics & facts
France is setting ambitious energy transition objectives to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. The country accounted for some of the largest energy transition investments worldwide in 2023 and was planning a joint development of renewables and nuclear power in the decades to come. Thanks to France's commitment to the energy transition, the country’s renewable energy capacity has grown steadily over the past decade to reach over 69 gigawatts in 2023. That year, the country was one of the top five producers of renewable energy in Europe. Hydropower, wind, and solar are the primary sources of renewable energy in France.
In 2023, the country passed the Renewable Energy Acceleration law to boost the growth of the renewable energy sector. The legislation includes measures to streamline the territorial planning and administrative procedures for the construction of new renewable energy projects, with a focus on solar thermal and photovoltaic energy and offshore wind power.
Hydro and solar power trends in France
With an electricity capacity of some 26 gigawatts, hydropower accounted for a 15 percent share of the primary energy production from renewable sources in France in 2023. Onshore wind energy was the second leading source of renewable electricity in the country, followed by solar photovoltaic energy. Projections showed solar photovoltaic as a candidate to take over wind energy’s position in the next five years. In fact, France planned to reach a solar capacity between 54 and 60 gigawatts by 2030. In 2023, the southern French regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alps, Occitania, Provence-Alps-Azure Coast, and New Aquitaine were the national leaders for both hydropower and photovoltaic installed capacity.Renewable energy targets in France
Despite the growth in the renewable energy sector, France missed its objective of deriving 23 percent of its gross final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. In fact, the share of renewables in France's final energy consumption was still around 22.3 percent in 2023. France’s wind energy deployment was also lagging behind the targets set by the country in the Multiannual Energy Program. Even if the country’s first offshore wind power plant started operation in 2022, the offshore wind capacity was still significantly lower than the target of 2.4 gigawatts set for 2023. Similarly, onshore wind energy capacity was around two gigawatts below the target set for the end of 2023.In 2023, the country passed the Renewable Energy Acceleration law to boost the growth of the renewable energy sector. The legislation includes measures to streamline the territorial planning and administrative procedures for the construction of new renewable energy projects, with a focus on solar thermal and photovoltaic energy and offshore wind power.
