This year's capacity growth will therefore almost certainly exceed last year's record.Continue reading
By the beginning of this year, the installed capacity of solar PV systems in Hungary has increased by 1,632 megawatts, reports Index. Last year’s increase is more than one and a half times the growth registered in the previous record year, 2022. The new annual peak brought total solar capacity to over 5,600 megawatts. Capacity previously expected to be available by 2030, could therefore be available as early as this year.
According to preliminary data from the transmission system operator MAVIR, 5,649 megawatts of solar capacity had been connected to the grid in Hungary by the beginning of this year. The 3,332 megawatts of industrial solar capacity will be complemented by 2,317 megawatts of domestic solar capacity. As the Energy Ministry’s statement highlights, the 2023 increase will not only exceed any previous year, but will also represent more new capacity than was installed by 2020 (1,415 megawatts).
Last year’s expansion came from almost half of the new capacity coming online from industrial, and half from residential-scale plants.
Solar farms over 50 kilowatts reached peak capacity last summer, generating more than 2,731 megawatts daily at noon during August. Last year, the number of small household-scale solar installations topped a quarter of a million. This is a quarter more than the previous estimate for 2030. Based on census data, more than a quarter of residential properties of 100 square meters or more built after 2010 have solar panels.
This year, the government is encouraging the increased use of green energy through a number of positive changes, both regulatory and financial. A HUF 75 billion (EUR 197 million) tender will help households install modern systems that combine solar panels and storage. The ministry emphasized that the Solar Energy Plus Program could help continue the rapid take-up of solar energy by residential users in Hungary.
The Ministry of Energy recalled that the rapid deployment of weather-dependent renewables poses significant challenges for grid and system operators.
The surge in renewable capacity needs to be matched by significant investments in networks and storage to maintain security of supply. This is why investments in the electricity grid will be stepped up again this year, the ministry noted.
Investments in energy storage will also reduce the load on the electricity system and increase its flexibility.
A separate call for tenders, to be launched in January, will support domestic companies in setting up storage facilities. The HUF 62 billion (EUR 163 million) tender for companies could result in industrial storage capacity 20 times larger than the current total by summer 2026. The future of the economy is one of the government’s priorities, not only for reasons of energy policy and climate protection, but also for reasons of competitiveness.
Via Index; Featured image via Pexels