French government announces measures to help ailing solar industry

France introduced a slew of measures aimed at reviving the declining solar power sector in the country.

Energy Minister Delphine Batho doubled the annual production capacity growth target to 1,000MW besides providing financial assistance to small solar developers in a bid to save the ailing industry.

Financial measures are expected to enable fresh investments to the tune of €2bn for the sector.

The government will offer a 10% bonus in addition to the feed-in-tariffs subsidy to small solar farms that employ panels manufactured in the 30-member European Economic Area.

Solar industry in France has also suffered considerable job losses in the recent past, a trend that the current government is hopeful of reversing.

"Many jobs were lost because of the (former) government’s yo-yo policies. But we will fight … to develop the ecological competitiveness of France," said Energy Minister Batho.

The new measures will aid the industry until the government introduces a wider energy law on completion of the ‘energy transition debate.’

French renewable energy sector lobbyist Jean-Louis Bal was quoted by Reuters as saying that the measures were the first of positive signs seen over the last three years.

The measures support the sector’s short term growth, the industry’s long-term viability is yet undetermined, cautioned Bal.