Solar power in Hungary has been rapidly advancing due to government support and declining system prices. By the end of 2023 had just over 5.8 GW of capacity, a massive increase from a decade prior. Relatedly, solar power accounted for 18.4% of the country's electricity generation in 2023, up from less than 0.1% in 2010.
Are grid constraints hampering solar deployment in Hungary?
PV deployment is gathering pace in the EU member state but grid capacity shortfalls and unpredictable shifts in government policy need to be addressed if the nation is to harness its full solar – and European energy security – potential. Grid constraints are hampering the roll-out of large scale solar in Hungary.
Why is solar power growing in Hungary?
Solar power in Hungary has been rapidly advancing due to government support and declining system prices. By the end of 2022 Hungary had just over 4,000 megawatt (MW) of photovoltaics capacity, a massive increase from a decade prior. Relatedly, solar power produced 12.5% of the country's electricity in 2022, up from less than 0.1% in 2010.
Are Hungarian solar projects eligible?
Even then, eligible projects must fulfill “exemption conditions” which lack transparency. In October, the Hungarian government introduced a provision for small, household-sized solar power plants that fundamentally transformed the Hungarian solar market.
In 2017, the installed grid-connected solar PV system capacity in Hungary was about 90 MWp; this raised the cumulative installed capacity to 380 MWp by the end of 2017 [ 7 ]. In 2018 the installed capacity of solar PV was 410 MWp [ 8] Thereby, increasing the cumulative installed PV capacity to about 790 MWp in 2018 [ 9].
How big is solar power in Hungary?
Solar momentum is building in Hungary with almost 4 GW of generation capacity, more than 2.5 GW of which is from arrays bigger than 50 kW in scale, according to data published in December by the Hungarian Energetic and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Attila Keresztes, CEO of Astrasun Solar.
Can the EU help prepare Hungarian grid for more renewables capacity?
The EU could play a significant part in helping prepare the Hungarian grid for more renewables capacity by resolving its dispute with Viktor Orbán's government and releasing the funds approved for allocation to the country under the bloc's Covid recovery fund.