Solar energy in France started to be substantial around 2008 and from then on, grew continually over the years. In 2021, France expanded its existing portfolio of renewable energy capacity with over 2.6GW of additional solar.
With France‘s ambitious 100GW solar target for 2050, France is now planning to install 5GW of new solar capacity each year to reach this goal. The following three companies hold large portfolios in France.
1) Sonnedix (Rennes, France)
Founded in 2009, Sonnedix is a global PV Independent Power Producer (IPP) that develops, builds, owns, and operates solar power plants across several OECD countries including France. Its portfolio includes around 400 solar PV plants with a total capacity of over 6GW in operation and development. In the Wood Mackenzie Market report 2019, Sonnedix ranked as the sixth largest solar PV portfolio in Europe and the fifth solar IPP in France.
2) EDF Renewables (Paris, France)
Paris-based company EDF Renewables, formerly known as EDF Renouvelables and until April 2018 called EDF Energies Nouvelles, is a subsidiary of the utility EDF Group. EDF Renewables specializes in renewable energy production: It develops and finances the construction of facilities for renewable energy production and manages operations and maintenance.
In France, the Group currently operates nearly 2 GW of installed capacity and has 751 MW of projects under construction. From 2020 to 2035, „le plan solaire“ by EDF Renewables aims to expand the company‘s installed capacity of PV in France to 30GW. Thus, EDF Renewables is and will continue to be one of the key renewable energy players in France.
3) Neoen (Paris, France)
Established in 2008, Neoen has become one of the leading European developers of renewable energy. The Parisian-based group has developed over 5.4GW of solar, wind and battery energy from projects located in France, Mexico, Australia, Portugal, Mozambique, and El Salvador. Neoen’s portfolio comprises 2.6GW of solar, 1.5GW of wind, and 716MW of battery storage.
The Independent Power Producer aims to accelerate their current portfolio which is spread across 16 countries by achieving their 10GW target by 2025. In France, Neoen was responsible for the development of the country‘s largest solar plant located in Cestas with an installed capacity of 300MW.
You might also be interested in our article on 3 large PV portfolio owners in Germany.
Image Source: Zbynek Burival via Unsplash (09.08.2022)
