Hungary to generate 1.6 GW of new solar power by 2023
According to the latest data released by the Hungarian government, the country deployed 1.6 GW of solar in 2023. The new installations broke the record for the highest number of installations in a calendar year, reaching more than 1.5 times the capacity added in 2022.
This figure brings Hungary's total solar power generation to more than 5.6 GW. Preliminary data from Hungary's National Transmission Company (MAVIR) shows that of Hungary's total solar power generation capacity, 3.3 GW originates from industrial solar power plants, and 2.3 GW comes from small-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes.
Last year, Hungary posted an increase in its large-scale and residential solar power generation. The country's largest solar power plant to date has been connected to the grid, and there are more than 250,000 small domestic systems. Census data show that more than a quarter of homes built after 2010 with an area of at least 100 square meters are equipped with solar panels.
In 2024, the Hungarian government said it will continue to support the growth of residential PV with the launch of Napergia Plusz, a subsidy program for the installation of modern solar panels and storage systems with a total budget of 75.8 billion Hungarian forints ($218 million), which is expected to support more than 15,000 households. The program will begin accepting applications later this month.
Hungarian legal analyst Kinga Máté told PV Magazine that the addition of 1.6 GW is a "significant and laudable achievement," but warned that "tightening FDI rules, and in particular the Hungarian government's introduction of the right of first refusal for investments in solar power plants, poses a significant challenge."
Máté said, "Another new provision in the amendments to the FDI Decree is the requirement to more precisely characterize the solar investments in question, such as strategic companies that will be acquired by foreign investors and register power generation as a primary or other activity in the company register. Such restrictions may dampen the enthusiasm of foreign investors or will limit the scope of international transactions in the Hungarian renewable energy sector. This is a factor that should be considered in every business strategy."
There are also concerns that grid congestion could hinder the rollout of large-scale solar projects in Hungary.In June, Ádám Szolnoki, president of the Hungarian Photovoltaic Industry Association, told PV Magazine that 3 GW of projects for which applications had been filed as early as 2022 were told in May that they would not be connected to the grid until 2028. However, he said that Hungary will build around 5 GW of utility-scale PV capacity over the next four to five years.
Hungary has set a target of reaching 12 GW of solar power capacity by the start of the next decade.
Source : www.pv-magazine.com
