Solar Ambitions: From Rooftops to Fields

French solar development followed a different trajectory. Early feed-in tariffs, among Europe's most generous, sparked a installation boom in 2009-2010. Too generous—the government drastically cut tariffs when installations exceeded projections. This boom-bust cycle damaged industry confidence but taught valuable lessons about policy design.

Innovation shifted to integration and applications. French architects pioneered building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), making solar panels architectural elements rather than add-ons. The Toulouse School of Economics' solar canopy, providing shade while generating power, exemplified aesthetic integration. These approaches addressed French concerns about solar panels damaging building heritage.

Large-scale solar faced land-use conflicts in densely populated France. Innovation focused on dual-use solutions. Agrivoltaics—combining agriculture with solar generation—emerged as a French specialty. The Sun'Agri project demonstrated that partial shading could actually improve some crop yields while generating electricity. Solar panels over parking lots, mandatory for large facilities since 2023, provided generation without consuming agricultural land.

French research institutions excelled in next-generation solar technologies. The Institute of Solar Energy (INES) in Chambéry became Europe's leading solar research center. Work on perovskite cells, organic photovoltaics, and concentrated solar power positioned France at solar innovation's frontier, even if manufacturing happened elsewhere.