Hyères (83), in the Var, is the city of more than 50,000 inhabitants with the highest proportion of solar panels compared to the total surface of the roofs of the municipality, i.e. 442 solar panels on residential buildings, according to the ranking of French cities best equipped with solar panels by namR. This French company relies on geolocation of all buildings and thus recognizes solar, photovoltaic and thermal panels installed on roofs. Thus, 335,329 buildings with a solar installation were detected in France.
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In Hyères, 7.6 square meters of roofing are covered by solar panels for every 1000 square meters of roof surface. The average surface of the solar panels is approximately 47 m2. Perpignan (7.1%), Pessac (6.8%), Ajaccio (6%) and Fréjus (5.5%) follow. “The implementation of the Solar Plan at the end of 2019 for the South region has made it possible to multiply the installations on the regional territory in order to limit the consumption of fossil energies and to deal with climate change“, specifies Chloé Clair, general manager of namR.
A visible interest throughout the territory
Cities located in the South and South-West of France are therefore the most represented. The top 3 regions with the most solar equipment in 2020 confirm this. In the lead is New Aquitaine with 2753 megawatts (MW) of connected power, then Occitanie (2160 MW) and finally the Provence-Alpes-Côtes-d’Azur region (1436 MW).
On the other hand, when namR is interested in the presence of at least one thermal or photovoltaic panel per building, we notice that French cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants are distributed in a more homogeneous way across the territory. Thus, Valence (6.71% of dwellings in the municipality have at least one solar installation on their roof), Perpignan (6.07%) and Strasbourg (4.9%). Villeurbanne, near Lyon, follows with 4.29% and Nancy, 4.11%.
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The size of these installations is certainly smaller, but the interest of citizens for solar energy is visible throughout the territory. In 2019, solar energy represented 2.5% of the electrical energy produced. “An inexhaustible source of energy with interesting potential to promote more sustainable electricity production and in a geopolitical context that raises questions about energy independence», according to namR. More than half of French people (52%) would like to see the price of solar panels drop, when 44% of respondents expect more aid from the state, according to an OpinionWay poll. “If some territories already rely on solar, it can still be developed. In a context where fossil fuels are increasingly contested, solar energy appears as a solution towards a sustainable transition that addresses both the climate emergency but also the energy crisis caused by the current geopolitical situation.“, emphasizes Chloé Clair.
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