France's New Solar Policy: FIT Cancelled for Small Systems, Self-Consumption Prioritized, Tiered FITs Unveiled for Mid-to-Large Projects

France's Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) has announced a major policy overhaul, releasing new feed-in tariff (FIT) standards for rooftop PV systems under 500 KW for Q3 2025 (July-September), while fundamentally changing support mechanisms for small-scale solar projects.

Significant Shift

To encourage residential PV owners to increase self-consumption and reduce grid reliance, the French government has officially cancelled FIT for systems of 3 KW and below and installations between 3 KW and 9 KW.

The new FIT apply to rooftop PV systems ranging from 9 kW to 500 kW, with rates strictly tiered based on installed capacity:

9 KW - 36 KW: €0.1243/kWh

36 KW - 100 KW: €0.1081/kWh

100 KW - 500 KW: €0.0886/kWh

Image Source: Internet

Complementary Support: Purchase Rebates & Net Metering Tariffs

System Purchase Rebates: Installers receive a one-time rebate ranging from €0.08/W to €0.18/W, depending on system size.

Net Metering Tariffs: Applicable to PV systems under 100KW operating under net metering. The surplus electricity tariff ranges from €0.0400/kWh to €0.0731/kWh, varying by month and system size.

Policy Implications

France's solar subsidy adjustment sends a clear signal: the policy focus is shifting from simply encouraging grid feed-in to prioritizing self-consumption for distributed PV. Small-scale residential investors must now reassess project economics and emphasize self-consumption solutions. For commercial and industrial mid-to-large scale rooftop projects, the tiered FITs remain significant support, though larger systems receive progressively lower per-unit subsidies. The complementary purchase rebates and net metering tariffs provide diversified revenue streams for PV investments across different application scenarios.