Marie, 42Lyon · 120 m²
| Installation | 3 kWp · south-facing roof |
| Savings / year | 310 € |
| Payback | 13 years |
“I simulated several configurations. With 3 kWp and a good south-facing orientation, the calculation was crystal clear.”
F.01ElevationPVGIS satellite data · hourly calculation · no sales calls
The most accurate free solar simulator on the French web.
Calculate the real return on your solar PV installation from actual satellite data, matched against your consumption over the 8,760 hours of the year. Free, independent, no sign-up, no sales calls.
A8,760hourly calculation
steps / year
steps / year
BPVGIS 5.3satellite data
European Commission
European Commission
C0 €sales
calls
calls
- ▸PVGIS 5.3 · European Commission
- ▸Regulated tariffs of the CRE (French energy regulator)
- ▸Open data · data.gouv.fr
- ▸Zero data resale
F.02Calculation sheetSince 1 June 2026
The subsidies are gone. Your consumption decides everything.
The ministerial order (arrêté) of 1 June 2026 abolished the self-consumption bonus (prime à l’autoconsommation) and cut the buy-back rate for surplus exported to the grid to 1.1 c€/kWh. Selling your electricity now earns almost nothing: what counts is the share you consume yourself, at the moment your panels are generating. That is exactly what this simulator lets you calculate, free of charge.
F.03ProcessHow it works
From simulation to decision.
01
You simulate
Your address, your roof, your consumption. Satellite positioning and the PVGIS model calculate your generation, hour by hour across the year.
02
You explore
The console: power, battery, appliances, tariffs. Each setting reruns a full hourly calculation: you see the effect live.
03
You decide
A clear, comprehensive report tailored to your study, free, with your options and a 25-year projection. Ready for an objective comparison of your installers' quotes.
F.04ViewsThe results page
From result to decision.
As soon as the simulation finishes, a structured page does all the calculation and lays it out: generation, self-consumption, savings and return over 25 years. It is organised into an overview, typical-day charts, various options such as adding a home battery, a financial projection and a personalised 3D panel layout tool.
The deliverable · 100% free
Your full, detailed report
A full report, free of charge: summary, hourly generation, financial simulation with a 25-year projection and even a glossary. No email, no sign-up.
| 15 pages | In your name | PDF & HTML | Free |
F.05DetailGoing further · the console
See your solar potential like an engineer.
Need more than the result? Open an interactive console: move the sliders, change the settings, add appliances… everything is recalculated in real time: power, battery, appliances, tariffs, hour by hour. The exploration tool for anyone who wants to dig into every assumption, without redoing a whole simulation.
F.06Parts listFree for households
A technical tool, completely free
Power optimiser, charts, battery scenarios, appliance scheduling, 25-year projection, downloadable full report: everything is included, with no payment and no sign-up. No simulation data is passed on or sold.
| Ref. | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Generation vs consumption chart | See month by month the solar generation against your actual consumption, with or without a battery. |
| 02 | Battery scenarios | Compare several battery sizes and the real impact: ROI, self-consumption and net savings. |
| 03 | 25-year financial projection | Annual cash flows, NPV, IRR, with electricity price inflation (3% a year by default, adjustable) and panel degradation. |
| 04 | Customisable settings | Adjust peak power, grid price, electricity inflation and export mode. |
| 05 | Orientation and tilt impact | Compare South, East/West and flat roof: real impact in kWh for your configuration. |
| 06 | Appliance optimisation | See how to improve self-consumption by scheduling certain appliances. Quantified results. |
| 07 | Full report (15 pages) | Summary, hourly generation, battery scenarios, 25-year projection and installation guide. |
| 08 | Power recommendation | Set your constraints (ROI, self-sufficiency, minimum savings) and get the ideal power. |
F.07SpecificationThree reasons to use calcul-solaire.fr
A simulator designed and built for you.
REQUIREMENT 01 / 03
Maximum technical accuracy
PVGIS satellite data, hourly calculation over 8,760 points a year, French climate zone H1/H2/H3, energy performance certificate (DPE), orientation and shading. The console lets all of this recalculate before your eyes.
✓ COMPLIANT
REQUIREMENT 02 / 03
Free, with no compromise
Every feature is free for households: optimiser, batteries, 25-year projection, console, full report. No payment, no sign-up.
✓ COMPLIANT
REQUIREMENT 03 / 03
No sales calls
No data passed on to installers. No follow-up phone calls, no unsolicited visits. A tool, not a lead-generation funnel.
✓ COMPLIANT
F.08Case studiesSample simulations
A few real, concrete profiles
These simulations illustrate typical configurations. Your own result will depend on the parameters of your installation.
Pierre & NathalieBordeaux · 180 m²
| Installation | 6 kWp · south · at home during the day |
| Savings / year | 860 € |
| Payback | 12 years |
“We are often at home and heat with electricity. The simulator calculated 58% self-consumption, well beyond our expectations.”
Jean-Paul, 67Toulouse · 90 m²
| Installation | 1 kWp plug-and-play kit |
| Savings / year | 200 € |
| Payback | 3 years |
“Now retired, I wanted something simple. The simulator steered me towards the balcony kit, perfect for me.”
F.09NotesFrequently asked questions
Everything you are wondering before you simulate.
Is the simulator really free?
Yes, entirely, and with no account to create. Annual generation, self-consumption, financial return, financial projection tables, power optimiser, battery scenarios and detailed report: everything is included. No paid service is offered to households.
Is my data passed on to installers?
No. On calcul-solaire.fr, the simulation and the full report are free, with no account, no e-mail and no phone number. No simulation or contact details are passed on to an installer or sold, and the site takes no commission (privacy policy, sections 3 and 7). That is the whole point of the project.
What does the model's accuracy rely on?
The simulator uses satellite data from PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System), the European Commission's reference database for solar irradiance. Calculations are carried out hour by hour (8,760 steps over a year) and take into account the French climate zone (H1, H2, H3) and the orientation and tilt of the roof, before being matched against a personalised consumption profile.
What is the typical margin of error?
The margin of error on annual generation is typically ±5% compared with a real installation, under nominal conditions. Accuracy depends above all on the quality of the parameters entered (actual orientation, shading, actual consumption).
Is the calculation really done hour by hour?
Yes. calcul-solaire.fr compares your household's production and consumption over the 8,760 hours of the year, not month by month. The difference is considerable: for a typical household in Lyon with 3 kWp, actual self-consumption ranges from 20% if nobody is home during the day to 53% if someone is, whereas a monthly balance would claim 88%. You can also upload the export from your Linky smart meter: the simulation then starts from your measured consumption, hour by hour.
Can I simulate an installation with a home battery?
Yes. The simulator models self-consumption with and without a battery, estimates the self-consumption rate, the surplus exported to the grid and the share consumed, and suggests an optimal capacity for your profile.
Does the simulator work everywhere in France?
Yes, in metropolitan France, Corsica included. The three French climate zones H1, H2 and H3 are supported, with PVGIS data specific to each municipality. The French overseas departments are not covered yet.
Your solar potential, in 2 minutes.
Free, no sign-up, no sales calls. Just the calculation, and the console to explore it yourself.