The French Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition has awarded 960 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity through different tenders, with a total of 288 PV and wind projects allocated so far this month.
This despite concerns around disruptions to solar power supply chains, due to the industry’s heavy reliance on manufacturers in China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, where operations are yet to fully recover.
How France’s government is supporting renewables despite coronavirus uncertainty
Somik Das, power analyst at data and analytics firm GlobalData, believes the measures taken by the French government show it is “doing all it can to ensure the renewable energy sector receives the adequate support that is needed during the pandemic”.
“The government is supporting solar project developers in three essential ways – relaxing deadlines for commissioning, reversing plans to reduce small rooftop solar PV tariffs, and adjusting the timeline for the next set of tenders,” he added.
“In the current pandemic situation, uncertainty looms large over the renewable sector. In these times, such initiatives from the government will prove to be a real boon.
“It will reduce the stress on developers and help them perform better in the second half of the fiscal year.”
