France 's photovoltaic solar power capacity reached 33 GW at the end of the first quarter of 2026, after adding 1.5 GW of new grid-connected power between January and March . The volume of new additions remained at similar levels to those recorded during the same period in 2025.
According to data published by the Data and Statistical Studies Service (SDES) of the Ministry for Ecological Transition , the accumulated photovoltaic power reached 32,996 MW, of which 32.1 GW correspond to mainland France.
During the quarter, 30,082 new installations were connected. Although systems larger than 500 kW represented only 0.3% of new projects, they accounted for nearly 30% of the added capacity. In contrast, residential installations smaller than 9 kW made up 74% of new connections, but contributed only 7% of the added power.
Gross electricity production from photovoltaic sources reached 6.6 TWh during the first quarter of 2026, compared to 5.9 TWh recorded in the same period of the previous year, representing a year-on-year growth of 13%.
Excluding self-consumed energy, solar generation accounted for 4.6% of electricity consumption in metropolitan France, compared to 3.8% a year earlier.
On the other hand, self-consumption continues to gain prominence. 62% of the country's photovoltaic installations generate electricity destined wholly or partially for self-consumption, representing 19% of installed capacity. During the quarter, producers self-consumed 481 GWh of solar energy, equivalent to 7% of total photovoltaic production.
Despite the sustained growth of the photovoltaic sector, the backlog of projects awaiting grid connection saw a slight reduction of 2% compared to the end of 2025, reaching 36.1 GW. Of that total, 8.4 GW already have signed grid connection agreements.
The regions of New Aquitaine, Occitanie and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes continue to lead the solar deployment in France, concentrating 50% of the national installed capacity and 46% of the new connected power during the first quarter.
The results consolidate the expansion of the French photovoltaic sector, which had already added more than 6 GW during 2025 and continues to move towards the renewable capacity targets set by the country for the next decade.