New figures from grid operator Enedis reveal that France added 1,418 MW of new PV capacity in Q1 2026, roughly matching Q1 2025, despite a broader sector slowdown linked to regulatory changes and delayed tenders.
Image: Mustang Joe, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0
From pv magazine France
According to data released by France’s grid operator Enedis, 1,418 MW of new photovoltaic capacity was connected to the country’s distribution network in the first quarter of 2026. This is broadly in line with the 1,407 MW recorded in the first quarter of 2025, indicating stable deployment levels despite a slowdown in the solar sector over recent months.
The decline is attributed to regulatory changes affecting the residential segment and delays in new tendering rounds. Around 10 GW of projects are currently in the pipeline awaiting grid connection.
Of the capacity connected in Q1 2026, 41 MW comes from self-consumption PV systems without grid injection, while 284 MW was connected under self-consumption schemes with surplus injection. A further 1,093 MW was for systems that are fully injecting their power into the distribution grid.
A total of 31,565 PV systems were connected between January and March 2026. This includes 26,611 installations in the sub-36 kW segment, representing 168 MW, 1,114 installations in the 36–100 kW low-voltage segment (93 MW), 3,678 installations in the 100–250 kW segment (749 MW), and 162 installations in the medium-voltage segment (407 MW).
Only 8 MW of capacity was connected with storage during the period, compared with 38 MW in the first quarter of 2025.
France deployed 5.9 MW of solar in 2025. The figure set a new record for France’s PV sector, surpassing the 4.6 GW installed in 2024, 3.1 GW in 2023, 2.6 GW in 2022, and 2.8 GW in 2021.
The country’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached around 31.1 GW at the end of December.
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More articles from Gwénaëlle Deboutte
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