France to Raise Grid Connection Cap for Solar-Plus-Storage Projects to 25 MW
France plans to raise the grid connection threshold for solar-plus-storage projects to 25 MW of installed capacity, up from the current 17 MW limit, as long as the combined system’s maximum injection into the grid stays at or below 17 MW. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon announced the measure on October 17, with pv magazine reporting it will take effect by the end of 2026. The change is designed to let developers pair larger batteries with existing solar capacity without triggering a more complex and costly grid connection process.
A narrow but practical fix for hybrid projects
The 17 MW threshold in French grid rules has applied to a project’s installed capacity rather than to what it actually feeds into the network, a distinction that matters for solar-plus-storage plants, which are sized larger than their grid export limit so the battery can store surplus output for later use. Under the planned change, a project could install up to 25 MW of combined solar and battery capacity while still being treated, for connection purposes, as a 17 MW facility — provided it never injects more than that into the grid at any one time. The French energy regulator, the Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE), had already flagged in its 2025 smart grids report that the existing power limitation could be relaxed to help integrate more renewable capacity without waiting for grid reinforcement work.
Part of a wider push on electrification and flexibility
The grid connection change follows an initial package of measures the government announced in April aimed at accelerating electrification of the economy and improving electricity demand flexibility. According to Bregeon, the government sees particular untapped potential in the residential sector through smarter management of heating, domestic hot water and electric vehicle charging — loads that can be shifted to track solar output or periods of low demand. Easing the connection rule for hybrid solar-storage plants is a smaller, more technical piece of that agenda, aimed specifically at commercial and industrial-scale projects rather than household systems.
France has been adding solar capacity at a fast clip, though only a small share has come with co-located storage so far; grid operator Enedis reported roughly 1.5 GW of new solar connections in the second quarter of 2026, of which just 48 MW included battery storage. A connection rule built around the smaller export limit, rather than installed capacity, is one of the more direct ways regulators can make storage pencil in alongside new solar builds. The move also comes as France’s own grid has been absorbing record swings in power prices this year — negative price hours hit a record 800 in 2026 as drought squeezed nuclear and hydro output, a volatility pattern that batteries paired with solar are well placed to help smooth.
What still needs to happen
Pv magazine’s report describes the 25 MW threshold as planned rather than finalized, with the government targeting implementation by the end of the year; the article does not specify which body — CRE, grid operators Enedis and RTE, or the energy ministry itself — will issue the formal rule change, or whether storage connection queues, which French reporting has put at roughly 2.8 GW, will be prioritized differently as a result. Developers planning solar-plus-storage projects above the current 17 MW capacity cap will be watching for the specific text of the measure before resizing their plans.
Sources
- pv magazine, “France to ease grid connection rules for solar-plus-storage projects up to 25 MW,” October 17, 2026 — threshold figures and government spokesperson Maud Bregeon’s statement.
Illustrative image. Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons — source
