On February 12, the cabinet of the Minister responsible for Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, presented a radical reform of the solar photovoltaic development framework to sector representatives.
The government has announced a moratorium in the rooftop solar photovoltaic sector, imposing changes to the public support scheme that will retroactively affect projects starting from February 1, 2025.
According to the Syndicat des 0nergies Renouvelables (SER) and ENERPLAN, these measures are a blow to the sector and create a high level of uncertainty in the industry, prompting them to urge the government to reverse its stance.
"While the announcements in favor of industrialization were well received by the sector, with the introduction on July 1, 2026, of new criteria to support Gigafactory projects in France, the other announced changes will, in fact, sharply halt all future solar projects on medium rooftops and parking canopies in the short term, putting at risk the viability of hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs," SER points out.
The new regulatory framework sets a target of 5 GWp/year for the solar sector in the upcoming Multiannual Energy Plan (PPE), with a total target of 65 GW by 2035, reducing the initial expectations, which ranged between 75 and 100 GW in last year"s draft.
Although the possibility of increasing the target if electricity consumption grows has been left open, the industry sees this reduction as a clear brake on sector development.
Regarding the S21 medium category (installations between 100 and 500 kWp on rooftops), there will be a 10% reduction in the tariff for full connection requests from February 1, 2025, to April 30, 2025.
"This tariff level will be accompanied by a stronger degression mechanism, with no floor on the decrease, based solely on the figures from the previous quarter, with a degression rate of 6% every time the volume exceeds 1.25 times the expected volume, which is calibrated at 359 MW/quarter," SER points out.
Residential self-consumption: drastic reduction in incentivesThe most drastic changes affect the feed-in tariff for excess energy, which will be reduced from 126.9 /MWh to only 40 /MWh, representing a decline of more than 68%.
In addition, the investment subsidy for installations between 0 and 9 kWp will be standardized but with a 50% reduction, which could discourage homeowners from installing solar panels on their rooftops.
Impact on medium-sized installations (100-500 kWp): lower tariffs and greater uncertaintyThe medium-sized installation segment will also suffer a 10% reduction in the tariff for all full connection requests made between February 1 and April 30, 2025.
Additionally, a new degression mechanism will be applied with a reduction rate of 6% each time the volume of requests exceeds 1.25 times the expected volume (359 MW/quarter).
SER and ENERPLAN warn that the absence of a minimum floor for tariff reductions will increase uncertainty and could leave many projects in limbo.
Moreover, the proposed guarantee system will apply at an undefined date, adding more insecurity for investors.
Another significant change is that, starting on July 1, 2025, installations of 200 kWp will have to transition from the purchase obligation to an additional remuneration system, which drastically changes the expected revenue model for developers.
A hard blow to the sector and thousands of jobs at riskIndustry associations have strongly reacted against these measures, pointing out that the government is halting a key segment for the energy transition just as the country"s electricity demand is rising.
"The government clearly sees solar as an adjustment variable in electricity consumption, which is a short-term policy compared to electrification needs," warns Daniel Bour, president of ENERPLAN.
For his part, Jules Nyssen, president of the Syndicat des 0nergies Renouvelables, has expressed concern about the impact this moratorium will have on the country's renewable generation capacity.
"Having an abundant supply of decarbonized electricity is an industrial and sovereignty asset, but where will we find the additional 170 TWh we will need in the next two years if we stop solar?" he questions.
From SER, they point out that this "abrupt" policy change will have serious consequences, comparing it to the 2010 situation when a moratorium was imposed, leading to the loss of nearly 20,000 jobs.
The organizations demand that the government revise its position and maintain the current incentive scheme for the S21 segment until the new support mechanism (simplified AO) comes into force on January 1, 2026.
Otherwise, they warn that the consequences could be devastating for ongoing investments, sector developers, and the jobs of thousands of professionals.
A positive sign in resilience, but with an uncertain outlookThe only positive aspect of the reform is the introduction of resilience criteria for projects between 100 and 500 kWp starting in mid-2026.
At this point, these projects will have to use panels that meet NZIA standards, and from 2028, cells will also have to meet these requirements.
As an incentive, the maximum tariff will be increased to 105 /MWh for projects that adhere to these criteria.
However, the lack of clarity in the regulatory timetable raises doubts about the effective implementation of these provisions.