France plans to announce new targets to nearly triple its solar electricity production and more than double its generation from onshore wind facilities by 2023.
The targets have been established by the Conseil Superieur de l’Energie, an industry advisory body to government, and a decree will follow “in coming weeks,” Reuters reports.
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The new targets support a legislative mandate to source 40% of France’s power consumption from renewable energy by 2030, up from just under 19% today. The national government previously announced plans to pave 1,000 kilometres of French roadways in solar panels by 2020, hoping to generate enough electricity to meet about 8% of its needs.
The latest targets anticipate increasing installed onshore wind capacity from around 10 gigawatts at the end of 2015 to up to 25 GW by 2023. Solar is seen growing from about 6 GW of capacity today to 20 GW over the same period, while hydro, seen as a more mature technology, will account for up to 26 GW. The plan sets more modest targets for clean energy contributions from geothermal, biogas, and floating offshore wind.
France is also looking for a one-third reduction in its reliance on nuclear power, which currently provides 75% of its electricity, by 2025.
