GlobalData projects Austria’s solar PV capacity to reach about 17.3 GW by 2030, generating around 16.3 TWh and exceeding its 11 TWh target
It attributes supportive policies, including the EAG law, market-based payment schemes, investment grants, and storage incentives, as driving solar growth
Analysts expect annual solar additions of nearly 1.4 GW from 2026 to 2030 despite permitting, policy, and supply-chain challenges
Austria is on track to ‘comfortably’ achieve its 11 TWh solar energy target before 2030, thanks to the rapid expansion of this energy source in the country, according to a new GlobalData report.
At the end of 2023, Austria had a cumulative installed solar PV capacity of around 6.2 GW, thanks to the addition of about 2.5 GW during the year. GlobalData says the aggregate capacity had expanded to nearly 9.9 GW by the end of 2025.
At this rate, analysts forecast the country will achieve approximately 17.3 GW of solar capacity by 2030, generating around 16.3 TWh, thus exceeding the target levels.
“Strong legal mandates especially via the Erneuerbaren-Ausbau-Gesetz (EAG) are driving Austria’s solar boom. Generous investment grants, “Made in Europe” bonuses, and support for rooftop/open-space PV bolster financial viability,” says GlobalData Power Analyst Sudeshna Sarmah.
Easier siting and permitting boost rooftop solar, while the addition of battery storage offers flexibility to manage daytime peak demand. These factors, adds Sarmah, work alongside falling PV module and component costs and increasing electricity demand.
Thanks to the OeMAG market price scheme, solar developers are encouraged to build efficient projects that respond to electricity market conditions, while providing greater income certainty for smaller producers. GlobalData underlines that these schemes then reduce reliance on fixed government support.
At the same time, the Marktprämie scheme and auctions also help attract investment, lower solar costs through competition, and support the expansion of solar power in Austria.
All of these factors are likely to ensure the country adds close to 1.4 GW of new solar PV capacity annually from 2026 through 2030, despite challenges related to permitting delays, policy uncertainty, and the supply chain.
From January 2024 to March 2025, Austria applied a zero VAT rate to small solar and storage systems, reducing upfront costs and improving investment returns. Although the measure ended for new contracts in early 2025, it helped accelerate solar adoption during a key growth period, according to the GlobalData report (see Another EU Nation To Do Away With Solar VAT).
Nevertheless, Sarmah says Austria’s mix of market-based payments, operating and investment support, local manufacturing incentives, storage support, and tax benefits has reduced project risks while encouraging continued investments in the solar market.
“Between 2020 and 2030, Austria’s investment in its power sector is expected to see a clear and sustained realignment toward renewables, with solar PV as the linchpin of that transformation. In the 2020-25 period, solar PV investment witnessed a surge, reaching a peak of nearly $4.4 billion in 2023 before moderating in 2025. Solar PV is expected to remain the dominant renewable investment during 2026-30,” adds Sarmah.
GlobalData analysts stress the accelerated deployment of rooftop solar, pairing solar with storage and upgrading grid infrastructure as helpful measures for the country to achieve its 100% renewable electricity target by 2030.
Earlier in May 2026, the Austrian capital Vienna launched a new solar power subsidy scheme to fund innovative and multifunctional solar PV systems in urban areas (see Vienna Backs Innovative Solar With €7 Million New Funding).
The new report titled Austria Power Market Trends and Analysis by Capacity, Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Regulations, Key Players and Forecast to 2035 can be purchased on GlobalData’s website for $1,495.