Photovoltaics are growing by leaps and bounds in Poland – Photovoltaics are growing by leaps and bounds in Poland

Published on: August 20, 2020 / update from: August 20, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The development of photovoltaics is making great strides in Poland. The Polish network operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne reported that in July alone the total output of all installed systems rose by around ten percent. In contrast to the end of 2019, when 1.29 gigawatts (GW) were installed, this value was 2.26 GW in July, almost twice as high as at the beginning of the year.

The development of photovoltaics in Poland is progressing at a rapid pace. For example, the Polish grid operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne reported that in July alone, the total output of all installed systems shot up by around ten percent. In contrast to the end of 2019, when 1.29 gigawatts (GW) had been installed, this figure was 2.26 GW in July, almost twice as high as at the beginning of the year.

Photovoltaics in Poland – @shutterstock | Anton_Medvedev

Smaller producers are driving development

Development in Poland is not fueled by large-scale plants. Instead, according to information from the Institute for Renewable Energy Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej (IEO), the focus of the expansion is primarily on smaller systems run by prosumers (combinations of producers and consumers). This is primarily due to government incentives in the form of a subsidy program to increase self-consumption as well as tax incentives and low-interest loans for photovoltaic projects.

If developments continue, IEO experts estimate that an estimated 2.5 gigawatts of additional power will be added to Poland this year. They also expect that the target of 7.8 GW of output set for 2030 could be achieved in the coming years.

Poland does well in a European comparison

Poland is not alone in this development. This is shown by a look across the borders to our European neighbors . In addition to the solar energy heavyweights Spain and Germany, there are also countries like France and the Netherlands that are strongly pushing photovoltaics. The small Netherlands expanded its capacity by an impressive 2.5 GW last year. But in France the industry also grew disproportionately with an expansion of an additional 1.1 GW in 2019.

And the future prospects seem bright. The two countries, as well as Poland, are planning to implement additional systems, which should increase the total output in the gigawatt range every year. With the realization of 2.5 GW planned for this year, Polish producers do not need to hide. This shows that photovoltaics will continue to boom in our eastern neighbor.

Smaller producers are driving the trend

The development in Poland is not being driven by large-scale plants. Instead, according to information from the Institute for Renewable Energy Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej (IEO) , the main focus of expansion is on smaller prosumer plants (combination of producers and consumers). This is mainly due to government incentives in the form of a subsidy program to increase own consumption as well as tax incentives and low-interest loans for photovoltaic projects.

If the trend continues, the experts at IEO expect an estimated 2.5 gigawatts of additional capacity to be installed in Poland this year. They also expect that the target formulated for 2030 of 7.8 GW of capacity could already be achieved in the coming years.

Poland doing well in a Europe-wide comparison

Poland is not alone in this development. This is shown by a look across the borders to its European neighbors . In addition to the solar energy heavyweights Spain and Germany, countries such as France and the Netherlands are also pushing photovoltaics. The small Netherlands expanded its capacity last year by an impressive 2.5 GW. But the industry also grew disproportionately in France, with an additional 1.1 GW to be added in 2019.

And the future prospects seem rosy. The two countries, like Poland, are planning to implement additional plants, which should lead to annual growth in total output in the gigawatt range. With the 2.5 GW planned for this year, Polish producers need not hide behind their plans. This shows that photovoltaics will continue to boom in our eastern neighboring country.