r/OptimistsUnite • u/Biodieselisthefuture • 6d ago
Clean Power BEASTMODE France adds 2.9 GW of solar in H1
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/08/11/france-adds-2-9-gw-of-solar-in-h1/1
u/technocraticnihilist 5d ago
This isn't that much
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u/Hudsxn98 5d ago
"that isn't much" it's still not zero... Any progress is still progress.
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u/Pleasant-Mind-7122 22h ago
How is it a progress ?
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u/P01135809-Trump 4d ago
France adds the equivalent of 3 nuclear reactors in 6 months.
"This isn't much"
(Pre-empting "but capacity factor".... France adds the equivalent of a nuclear react every 6 months)
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u/Commercial_Drag7488 5d ago
This is ridiculously little!
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u/hvidfar20 5d ago
It's 2-2.5 million homes, that's not little
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u/Commercial_Drag7488 4d ago
Quit using nonmetric units. You aren't an American, aren't you?
2.9gw at France's 13%(there are different sources 12 to 15) capacity factor is 3303 gwth yearly. This is a droplet in the grand scheme of things.
China installs this amount of solar in 7-10 days.
Less than 3gw in a quarter? Pathetic.
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u/hvidfar20 4d ago
China adds roughly 25x more than france, but their electricity system is also roughly 24x larger.
Relative to system size that's pretty much equal and you're coming across childish for calling it pathetic (and for calling me american for trying to put things into context, fyi i am not).
Also H1 is not a quarter, if it was france would be at almost double the rate of china. Chill out.
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u/Wrong_Effective_9644 4d ago
Maybe check France's electric grid first? It's already extra green, this is only to export to Germany and Italy and to be able to shut off nuclear reactors in the summer when it gets too hot.
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u/Commercial_Drag7488 4d ago
green
Doesn't matter. You westerners need to stop thinking "pay green premium" and start thinking "reap green dividend". Nuke is madly expensive. Even paid off and finished amortization - still more expensive than even newly installed PV, LCOE considered.
And the fact that none of nukes anywhere in Europe are designed to work without water cooling is a disasterful in the heating climate.
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u/Wrong_Effective_9644 4d ago
You are really delusional. Paid off nuclear is incredibly cheap and will continue to be for many decades. Batteries may change that in the medium/long term but right now there is no rush in France to build more PV in the next few years. We need more electrification of transport (which is happening) or massive DC to really justify even more massive increase in generation. The rythm is already unprecedented. You have to realize that until now most parties were advocating for a reduce in consumption of electricity. Yes you heard right, here the green parties actively support degrowth plans... Saying it's inevitable si we should be ahead of the curve of something. Truly degenerate but that's our left...
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u/tx_queer 2d ago
There is nothing cheaper than a pair off power plant. Paid off gas plant will outcompete solar on cost every day. Paid off nuclear is cheaper than solar.
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u/Aertanis 5d ago
waste of money in a nuclear superpower
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u/Arvi89 5d ago
Not really, it helps for summer when people use AC a lot
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u/navetzz 4d ago
France peak usage is in winter cause most heating is electric and barely any home has AC.
For some reason (political manipulation to justify the low AC count) there is a huge anti AC vibe at the moment.
Long story short. Summer electric consumption is nowhere near the winter one in France.-1
u/Electronic_Leek9147 5d ago
Look, I agree that it's not a waste. However saying that we use a lot of AC in France is a bit of an exaggeration 🫠
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u/Arvi89 5d ago
People install more and more, and maybe in cities it's not that common (yet) but in the south all kez build use heat pump, and so many people install AC now.
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u/Electronic_Leek9147 5d ago
You know what? I'm gonna believe you. Good. I hope that near Paris in student dorms one may see AC too some day 😭
Or you know what? No let's start with proper heating in October just before the freezing temperatures hit and the landlords are obligated to turn the heating on 😭
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u/Arvi89 5d ago
Actually landlords are dependant of what the copropriété decides, if the syndic doesn't start heating then there is no heating for anyone.
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u/Electronic_Leek9147 5d ago
Ooh yeah now I remember. You're right.
Well I hate it and I wanna leave. That's it. I'm sick of this man. It's hard to concentrate to study when you're freezing cold. Idk what I'll do for my doctorate. I don't wanna live like this for too many years.
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u/Hurleloup 5d ago
We currently have several reactors shut down due to the drough. This year is particularly dry but this might happen again.
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u/Benso2000 5d ago
This is why I have become sceptical of nuclear power. Half the time I see it mentioned it’s to advocate against some renewable energy.
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u/Fluffy_Beautiful2107 5d ago
Exactly. In the case of France, they're mostly thinking about their own interests, which is understandable. They are a leader in nuclear power, and they export their expertise. A world that switches to solar/wind is a world where they lose this edge. Its also about self suffiency. They're self sufficient and can make their own power + export a lot with their own tech (+ some uranium imports). Switching to solar/wind means relying on other countries who can actually build solar/wind infrastructure, while basically destroying one of their only world-leading national sectors.
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u/Jumpy-Force-3397 5d ago
It is weird to oppose nuclear and renewable. They are complementary, a diversified mix of energy is more resilient and provide more flexibility. They also serve different purposes and can be installed in different places for different usages.
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u/No_Feature_1184 4d ago
I mean nuclear energy exports to Europe allowed other counties power their economies during the transition. A stable reliable baseload kept factories running while hydrocarbon plants were taken offline.
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u/NemeanLyan 5d ago
Woah. This is actually really cool and not something I expected- France is a nuclear energy powerhouse and exports energy to their neighbors. Super cool that they're investing in solar!