Profitability of solar panels by city in France
How much does a solar installation earn you depending on where you live? Here are the sunshine, output, annual saving and payback period for 23 major French cities, with figures estimated from PVGIS satellite data, for a typical 3 kWp installation on self-consumption with the surplus sold back.
Ranked by annual saving, highest first. Click a column header to sort. Values are for a well-oriented 3 kWp installation (south, ~30°) with no shading; your actual case depends on your roof and your consumption.
This table is published as open data on data.gouv.fr under the Licence Ouverte 2.0 (the French open licence): the figures, the calculation assumptions and the data dictionary can be downloaded and reused, including commercially, provided the source is cited.
How to read these figures
Solar yield (kWh/kWp/year) is the local energy output: the energy that one kilowatt-peak of panels produces in a year at that location. It can vary by a factor of two between the north and the south of France, from ~1,020 kWh/kWp in Strasbourg to ~1,580 in Nice.
The annual saving combines the electricity you no longer pay for (self-consumption, ~0.20 €/kWh) and the sale of the surplus. The payback period (return on investment) is the number of years after which the installation has paid for itself. The sunnier the location, the shorter it is.
These values are average estimates meant for comparing cities with one another. For a personalised figure that takes account of your roof, your orientation and your real consumption profile, use the free simulator. The full calculation method is detailed on our methodology page.
Is solar worthwhile everywhere in France?
Yes, even in the least sunny cities. In Strasbourg or Lille, an installation is still worthwhile; the payback period is simply a little longer than in Marseille or Montpellier. The decisive factor is not so much the region as your self-consumption rate: the more of your own production you use rather than sell back, the more profitable the installation, wherever you are.
Going further: profitability of solar panels in 2026, the self-consumption guide and the price of an installation.
Your city, your roof, your figure.
The comparison above gives an average per city. The simulator calculates your actual profitability from your exact address and your consumption. Free, no sign-up.
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