To add a further parallel: I didn't mention in the diary what happened in 2004. Before, rooftop solar benefited from a direct subsidy, the 100,000 Roofs Program. This had a goal to install 300 MW, which was exceeded in 2003 and the program terminated. So experts and the industry called for an increase of feed-in rates to prevent the collapse of the industry.

At the time, the right-of-centre parties, which had a majority in the upper house of parliament, were pre-occupied with the wind power boom, and demanded a slashing of FIT rates there -- and thought it would be a nice compensation in the eyes of voters to support photovoltaics at the same time. Alas, now that new installations by that industry grew 30-fold from 2003 to 2009, they panicked, indeed...

By the way, do you have any numbers and/or links on installation stats in France?

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}