Poland and Hungary lead Europe in photovoltaic solar power growth

Poland boosted its output from solar panels by 37% and Hungary by 49% in the first half of this year, while renewable energy outpaced carbon fuels in EU power stations for the first time, according to a report.

The study by Ember, a think tank that campaigns for a transition from carbon-generated energy, said that Poland had added 2.4 Terawatt hours (TWh) of solar renewable energy to its mix. Hungary added 1.5 TWh during the period.

The growth of renewable power output was highest in May, when over a third of Poland’s energy came from wind and solar power.

The first half of 2024 compares well with the full-year results for 2023, when 21% of the Polish electricity mix came from wind and solar power.

Hungary, meanwhile, “set three consecutive all-time highs for solar output in a single month in April, May and June 2024,” the report said.

According to the Energy Market Agency, 39% of new capacity for solar power in Poland in 2023 was installed by “prosumers” – private customers with panels on their roofs connected to provide electricity to the grid.

The rest came from larger commercial investments.

The Ember report signaled a landmark: during the first six months of 2024, wind and solar power outpaced fossil fuels across the EU for the first time. Renewables accounted for 30% of electricity generation. In comparison, fossil fuel use in power stations fell to 27%.

“Wind and solar grew by 45 TWh, fast enough to meet and exceed new electricity demand, leading to a fall in fossil generation,” the report said.

In the first half of this year, 13 of the 27 EU member states used more of these two renewable sources than coal, oil and gas.

The report by Ember pinpoints several reasons for the change.

One is that average wind speeds at the beginning of the year were up as much as 30% compared to the first six months of last year in some countries, such as the Netherlands.

Among barriers to the expansion of renewable sources, the report mentions the bureaucracy involved in connecting domestic solar panels to the grid, and constraints on the capacity of the grid to handle large amounts of renewable power generated in high winds or prolonged sunny spells.