Credit: GeminiThe French Solar Revolution: RE confronts regulatory and technical hurdles
Driven by regulation and storage value, French real estate shifts from ad-hoc solar to mass deployment
October 24, 2025Real Estate
Written by Helen Richards
Key Takeaways:
The integration of solar energy into the French real estate market is accelerating, driven by ambitious governmental regulations and growing market demand for sustainable assets. However, this transition is proving complex, requiring property owners and operators to navigate significant technical, financial, and legal challenges.
At the recent GRI Institute roundtable, Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire, co-hosted by IDEX, real estate industry leaders active in the country discussed the seismic shift from opportunistic, small-scale solar installations to large-scale, portfolio-wide deployments. The consensus is clear: solar energy is no longer a fringe element but a core strategic and regulatory imperative.
A key date looming for many is 2028, which marks a major solarisation obligation for existing buildings, based on specific criteria regarding a building's surface area and composition, and covering a broad range of asset types, initially focusing on industrial, warehouse, artisanal, and commercial properties, but gradually extending to offices and sports facilities.
For property owners, these obligations create new, fundamental questions about asset management and strategy, and are forcing owners to shift their focus from their primary business objective to solarisation strategy.
Solar is a key contributor to achieving certifications and addressing the Décret Tertiaire (Tertiary Decree), a French regulation that mandates significant, progressive reductions in energy consumption for commercial buildings over 1,000 square metres, requiring owners and tenants to cut energy use by at least 40% by 2030.
One major player described having launched large-scale tenders, managing solar projects in volume rather than individually, which involves managing a tender for over a hundred buildings, seeking solutions that cover panels, charging stations, and inverters. The goal is a holistic approach covering self-consumption, collective self-consumption, and grid injection, preferably with third-party investment. This portfolio approach introduces complexity, particularly due to the varied investment vehicles and the sheer duration of the projects.
The industry’s top players gathered in Paris for the Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire roundtable. (Credit: GRI Institute)
However, new business models are emerging to address this. For example, some developers have structured dissociated installations where a portion of the revenue comes from grid injection to secure financing, with an additional upside from self-consumption with the tenant. This involves sharing revenue based on a fixed percentage of turnover, moving away from a flat rental model. This innovative approach is key to facilitating portfolio-wide deployment.
Existing Building Constraints
Owners of older properties, particularly 1980s-era warehouses, face technical challenges. The structural integrity of old roofs can make solar installation financially unviable, often requiring extensive, costly refurbishment. In such cases, owners may have to seek regulatory derogations.
Insurance and Risk
A major obstacle is the reluctance of insurers, who are wary of the increased fire risk associated with solar panels and batteries. This fear often stems from a lack of knowledge among decision-makers and a focus on past incidents. Insurers may impose specific prevention measures or, in some cases, refuse to cover the installation entirely.
Grid Capacity and Collective Consumption
Grid constraints pose a problem, with the national grid operator (Enedis) sometimes stating that the local network cannot handle the power that a new installation is set to generate. This forces a reliance on self-consumption and storage.
To secure collective self-consumption projects (where energy is shared among multiple users), developers are prioritising public entities like hospitals, schools, or local authorities, as they offer greater long-term stability than private individual consumers. New organisational structures, such as territorial collecting bodies, are also emerging to manage and secure energy flows in collective self-consumption.
Supply Chain and Carbon Footprint
The dominance of Chinese-made solar panels - estimated at 90% of the market - is an acknowledged problem. This raises questions about the carbon footprint of the panels (transport and manufacturing) and the ethical considerations of production, despite the panel quality being “excellent”.
The current model is criticised for placing the entire carbon weight of the solar solution on the building's initial construction, without fully accounting for the long-term carbon savings generated during its lifespan. This creates a paradox where a decarbonisation solution significantly increases the building's initial carbon burden.
This can result in a "green premium" of 1- 3% on the sale price for large platforms. Conversely, a lack of solarisation can become a potential veto point for investors. However, the robustness of the contract and the counterparty remain critical points of vigilance in the due diligence process.
The French real estate market is thus at a pivotal moment, with solarisation transforming from a sustainable nice-to-have into a high-stakes, high-value technical and financial operation. Success now hinges on sophisticated execution, innovative financial models, and the ability to integrate production and storage into a coherent, portfolio-level strategy.
Thank you to our co-host IDEX, as well as Jean-Philippe Besse (Parisian Real Asset Advisor), Céline Cloché-Dubois (CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats), Edouard Roblot (IDEX), Fabien Meyer (ESR Europe), Paul Faraggi (Blunomy), and Sandrine Lafon-Ceyral (Amundi) for their valuable contributions to the discussion at Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire.
Key Takeaways:
- The French real estate market is shifting from small, opportunistic solar projects to large-scale, portfolio-wide deployments driven by ambitious government mandates.
- Energy storage is becoming economically vital by increasing on-site energy self-consumption and revenue from grid services and electricity market trading.
- The industry faces challenges in capitalisation due to long-term contract structures and faces insurance reluctance and high carbon cost of non-European solar panels.
The integration of solar energy into the French real estate market is accelerating, driven by ambitious governmental regulations and growing market demand for sustainable assets. However, this transition is proving complex, requiring property owners and operators to navigate significant technical, financial, and legal challenges.
At the recent GRI Institute roundtable, Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire, co-hosted by IDEX, real estate industry leaders active in the country discussed the seismic shift from opportunistic, small-scale solar installations to large-scale, portfolio-wide deployments. The consensus is clear: solar energy is no longer a fringe element but a core strategic and regulatory imperative.
Regulatory Imperatives and Key Deadlines
The push for solarisation in France is primarily regulatory, stemming from legislation like the 2019 Energy-Climate Law and subsequent texts. This has imposed solarisation obligations on owners of real estate assets, with defined deadlines.A key date looming for many is 2028, which marks a major solarisation obligation for existing buildings, based on specific criteria regarding a building's surface area and composition, and covering a broad range of asset types, initially focusing on industrial, warehouse, artisanal, and commercial properties, but gradually extending to offices and sports facilities.
For property owners, these obligations create new, fundamental questions about asset management and strategy, and are forcing owners to shift their focus from their primary business objective to solarisation strategy.
The Shift to Portfolio-Wide Solarisation
The market is moving from "proof-of-concept" (POC) installations to a portfolio-wide logic. This scaling-up is primarily driven by ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments, which for international operators are increasingly about value and resilience, rather than just regulatory compliance.Solar is a key contributor to achieving certifications and addressing the Décret Tertiaire (Tertiary Decree), a French regulation that mandates significant, progressive reductions in energy consumption for commercial buildings over 1,000 square metres, requiring owners and tenants to cut energy use by at least 40% by 2030.
One major player described having launched large-scale tenders, managing solar projects in volume rather than individually, which involves managing a tender for over a hundred buildings, seeking solutions that cover panels, charging stations, and inverters. The goal is a holistic approach covering self-consumption, collective self-consumption, and grid injection, preferably with third-party investment. This portfolio approach introduces complexity, particularly due to the varied investment vehicles and the sheer duration of the projects.
Storage and Self-Consumption: The Economic Drivers
Two critical developments are enhancing the economic viability of solar projects: the rise of storage and self-consumption. The intermittency of renewable energy sources (RENs) is creating a strong and increasing need for flexibility in the electrical system. Storage is the solution, and its business case is strengthening due to two main factors:- Cost Reduction: Battery costs have fallen drastically in the past decade, with further reductions expected.
- Value Creation: Storage generates value by:
- Increasing Self-Consumption: Storing excess solar energy produced during the day for later use, thereby maximising the power used directly by the client and compensating for the declining interest in grid injection.
- System Services and Arbitrage: Batteries can provide services to the grid operator (RTE) to regulate frequency and balance production/consumption, generating a significant revenue stream. They also allow for arbitrage, charging when market electricity prices are low and discharging when they are high.
The industry’s top players gathered in Paris for the Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire roundtable. (Credit: GRI Institute)Overcoming Lease Challenges
A significant hurdle for solar remains the mismatch between the long lifespan of panels (25 to 40 years) and the shorter lease terms of tenants. Historically, this led to a reliance on grid injection.However, new business models are emerging to address this. For example, some developers have structured dissociated installations where a portion of the revenue comes from grid injection to secure financing, with an additional upside from self-consumption with the tenant. This involves sharing revenue based on a fixed percentage of turnover, moving away from a flat rental model. This innovative approach is key to facilitating portfolio-wide deployment.
Technical, Financial, and Legal Obstacles
Despite the clear momentum, several critical issues are yet to be fully resolved.Existing Building Constraints
Owners of older properties, particularly 1980s-era warehouses, face technical challenges. The structural integrity of old roofs can make solar installation financially unviable, often requiring extensive, costly refurbishment. In such cases, owners may have to seek regulatory derogations.
Insurance and Risk
A major obstacle is the reluctance of insurers, who are wary of the increased fire risk associated with solar panels and batteries. This fear often stems from a lack of knowledge among decision-makers and a focus on past incidents. Insurers may impose specific prevention measures or, in some cases, refuse to cover the installation entirely.
Grid Capacity and Collective Consumption
Grid constraints pose a problem, with the national grid operator (Enedis) sometimes stating that the local network cannot handle the power that a new installation is set to generate. This forces a reliance on self-consumption and storage.
To secure collective self-consumption projects (where energy is shared among multiple users), developers are prioritising public entities like hospitals, schools, or local authorities, as they offer greater long-term stability than private individual consumers. New organisational structures, such as territorial collecting bodies, are also emerging to manage and secure energy flows in collective self-consumption.
Supply Chain and Carbon Footprint
The dominance of Chinese-made solar panels - estimated at 90% of the market - is an acknowledged problem. This raises questions about the carbon footprint of the panels (transport and manufacturing) and the ethical considerations of production, despite the panel quality being “excellent”.
The current model is criticised for placing the entire carbon weight of the solar solution on the building's initial construction, without fully accounting for the long-term carbon savings generated during its lifespan. This creates a paradox where a decarbonisation solution significantly increases the building's initial carbon burden.
Valuing Solar Assets
A key question for owners is how solar installations are capitalised upon exit. When a transaction involves solid, long-term contracts (e.g., 30-year civil leases, not baux emphytéotiques), a strong operator, and a significant, assured rental stream, the market is beginning to capitalise this solar revenue at the building’s core capitalisation rate.This can result in a "green premium" of 1- 3% on the sale price for large platforms. Conversely, a lack of solarisation can become a potential veto point for investors. However, the robustness of the contract and the counterparty remain critical points of vigilance in the due diligence process.
The French real estate market is thus at a pivotal moment, with solarisation transforming from a sustainable nice-to-have into a high-stakes, high-value technical and financial operation. Success now hinges on sophisticated execution, innovative financial models, and the ability to integrate production and storage into a coherent, portfolio-level strategy.
Thank you to our co-host IDEX, as well as Jean-Philippe Besse (Parisian Real Asset Advisor), Céline Cloché-Dubois (CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats), Edouard Roblot (IDEX), Fabien Meyer (ESR Europe), Paul Faraggi (Blunomy), and Sandrine Lafon-Ceyral (Amundi) for their valuable contributions to the discussion at Production et Stockage d'énergie Solaire.