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According to GlobalData, Poland’s stimulus programs, such as the “My Electricity” initiative, have already resulted in massive improvements, putting the country on track to have about 14.5GW of solar PV installations by the end of 2030.
As a result, solar would account for more than 20% of the country’s capacity mix.
With coal prices increasing and the rest of Europe moving for carbon neutrality, the Polish government is under pressure to take steps to encourage clean energy.
“Poland’s reported cumulative solar PV installations – 3.9GW as of 1 Jan 2021 – represents a massive threefold jump from a year ago. Furthermore, its solar PV capacity has surged in the past two years since the introduction of the government’s subsidy program ‘My Electricity’ in 2019.
Mohit Prasad, Project Manager at GlobalData
“Poland has long witnessed political support for coal-fired plants, which is apparent in that – prior to the introduction of the My Electricity program – the country’s cumulative solar PV installations totalled 562MW (1.2% of the capacity mix) while coal-fired capacity was 31.7GW* (around 70% of the capacity mix). With so many households availing subsidies through the program and installing solar panel on their rooftops, the country has witnessed a significant change in its power mix. For example, the contribution of solar PV to the capacity mix has increased to 8.1% at the end of 2020.”
Mohit Prasad, Project Manager at GlobalData
Poland has seen two years of dry weather in a row (2018 and 2019), followed by a mild winter in 2019/2020 and a very dry spring in 2020. This triggered a serious drought, which is bad news for a nation that derives the bulk of its energy from coal-fired plants, some of which use river water for cooling.
The My Electricity program was the government’s answer to shift focus towards alternative sources of energy. The subsidy covers up to 50% of the installation costs of building solar PV plants ranging from 2kW to 10kW and up to PLN5,000.
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