Agrivoltaic projects face competition challenges

France Agrivoltaïsme has raised concerns that current tender processes in France favor ground-mounted photovoltaic projects designed before the APER law, creating a competitiveness gap for agrivoltaic projects. The association is calling for changes to tender specifications to address this issue.

APER law promotes agrivoltaic development

According to Chambres d'agriculture France, the APER law established a clear framework for agrivoltaic projects, which has led to hundreds of projects being initiated. However, the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) has proposed orientations for upcoming tenders that reduce support levels and place agrivoltaics in competition based solely on price.

Recent tender results show price trends

The CRE published the results of the latest ground-mounted photovoltaic tender on October 9, noting a strong subscription and electricity prices (weighted average price of 61.33 €/MWh), down 23% compared to the previous period. Out of 731 applications submitted, 125 were selected.

Agrivoltaic projects face selection hurdles

Among the 249 agrivoltaic projects or those installed on fallow land eligible for the tender, 156 had obtained their authorization before the APER law and 93 after. The CRE selected 27 post-APER applications and 24 pre-APER applications. The prices of post-APER projects observed in the tender are on average 2.77 €/MWh higher than the average of the applications submitted.

Cost differences highlight the issue

An estimated average additional cost of 6 to 10 €/MWh for post-law APER projects. France Agrivoltaïsme has criticized this situation, stating that the persistence of a pre-APER project stock estimated at 3 GW mechanically excludes post-APER projects from the ranking, even though these are the ones implementing the agrivoltaic framework now desired by the law.

Government focus on price raises concerns

The association has estimated that the average additional cost between a project designed before the law and one designed after is between 6 and 10 €/MWh. France Agrivoltaïsme lamented in a statement in July that the government "only considers price as the selection criterion in its tenders."

Waiting for pre-APER projects to expire is not a solution

The association has stated that waiting for the natural exhaustion of the pre-APER stock is not a solution. While the specifications for the next tender exclude agrivoltaic projects, it requests that the specifications for the "super neutral" tender planned for January 2027 "explicitly organize the transition to post-APER projects and ensure the effective emergence of a first volume of projects meeting the framework created by the law."

Proposed solutions aim to level the playing field

France Agrivoltaïsme has proposed two solutions: capping the volume of pre-APER projects on agricultural land or granting a scoring bonus to post-APER projects to eliminate the competitiveness gap. Assuming that the measure adopted would allow the allocation of 500 MWc to post-APER agrivoltaic projects in the next tender, it would cost between 4 and 5 million euros per year, estimates France Agrivoltaïsme.

January 2027 tender offers a transition opportunity

The association concludes that the January 2027 tender offers the government a simple means to organize this transition while controlling costs and without undermining already committed projects.