Domestic Industrial Solar Capacity Over 3,000 MW

The installed photovoltaic capacity in Hungary increased by more than 840 megawatts in the first five months of this year, and by the beginning of the summer the total number of solar power plants above 50 kilowatts (kW) exceeded 3,000 megawatts, the Ministry of Energy (EM) informed MTI in a statement on Saturday.

Another sign of the dynamic growth is that the number of small household-sized power plants surpassed 200,000 in the spring, they added.

The first industrial-scale solar power plants were connected to the public grid at the beginning of the previous decade, when the total installed capacity was only 0.4 megawatts (MW). The year 2022 proved to be a record year for the penetration of solar energy in Hungary. Last year's 1,100 megawatts more than any previous year and more than the total capacity installed before 2019, they reported. The combined installed capacity of industrial and residential-scale solar plants is close to 5,000 megawatts, they said.

By the end of May this year, the total capacity of solar installations had already increased to over 840 megawatts. Industrial solar power plants, including Hungary's largest contiguous solar farm, the recently inaugurated one in Mezőcsát, contributed almost half a gigawatt to the increase, the statement said.

The most significant complex of the MVM Group's renewable energy subsidiary was also recently completed. MVM Green Generation has built its solar farms in Kunmadaras, on the site of the former military airport, in two projects that are also among the best in Hungary in terms of their capabilities, the press release recalls.

According to data from transmission system operator MAVIR, the number of residential solar systems under 50 kilowatts (kW) has now exceeded 200,000. Previously, it was expected that Hungary would reach this figure by 2030. The results of the 2022 census so far also show that around 179,000 homes in Hungary are equipped with solar panels. The vast majority of small household-scale power plants are therefore operated by families, but some of them help to partially meet the energy needs of institutions and businesses, the statement said.

In addition to nuclear energy, the government will continue to give solar energy a prominent role in strengthening Hungary's energy independence, it said. According to the strategic forecast, the total installed capacity of 6,000 megawatts expected by 2030 could be available from renewable sources as early as next year, they stressed.

By the beginning of the next decade, clean capacity twice the previous target could provide secure electricity supplies and reduce the environmental burden on the energy sector. The Ministry of Energy is laying the foundations for the integration of weather-dependent solar energy into a disturbance-free system by, among other things, supporting grid upgrades and storage investments, the ministry said in a statement.