Solar Power Production Surges in Central and Eastern Europe, Outpacing Growth Rates in Western and Southern Regions

Solar power production in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is growing faster than in any other European region, significantly surpassing growth rates in wealthier and sunnier areas of the continent, according to Reuters.

In the first seven months of 2024, solar energy output from the top five CEE solar producers—Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Poland—increased by 55% compared to the same period in 2023, as per Ember data. This growth rate is more than double that of the entire Europe and far exceeds the growth observed among the top solar producers in Western, Southern, and Northern Europe.

Since 2019, these top CEE solar producers have also expanded their solar generation capacity faster than their regional counterparts, paving the way for continued solar production growth in one of Europe’s most industrialized areas.

Poland and Hungary are leading the solar power expansion in CEE. Poland produced 11.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar energy, while Hungary generated 5.8 TWh in the first seven months of the year. These figures represent a 33.3% and 47.7% increase, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023, placing them among the fastest-growing solar markets in Europe.

Despite these impressive growth rates, the absolute production figures in CEE still lag behind those of Western and Southern Europe. The top five solar producers in Western Europe generated 83.53 TWh, while their Southern European counterparts—Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey—produced 76.12 TWh in the same period.

However, if the current growth rates in CEE are maintained, the region’s solar production could surpass that of Western and Southern Europe by 2029.

Source: Financial Intelligence