- Solární Asociace says the Czech Republic installed over 970 MW of new solar PV capacity in 2023
- It was led by the residential solar segment that contributed 823.3 MW with 80,000 new systems
- The association calls for push to solar parks in the country to bring down the cost of electricity
The residential solar segment continues to lead solar PV deployments in 2023 in the Czech Republic, thanks to the New Green Savings Program, according to the local solar energy association Solární Asociace. The country exited 2023 with 970.1 MW of new solar capacity, representing a 236% annual increase over 288.8 MW installed in 2022.
Of the total last year, residential solar segment accounted for 823.3 MW of new capacity with 80,000 new rooftop solar systems installed. The average size of domestic solar PV plants was 10.3 kW, having grown from 6.7 kW in 2022. Around 92% of families chose solar with battery storage solution with an average capacity of 12 kWh.
On an overall basis, the country deployed 82,799 new solar power plants. The year also saw 917.1 MWh of new storage capacity becoming operational.
Installations increased as supply chain constraints eased compared to 2022, and installers are confident of achieving even greater number of installations in 2024.
The association says close to 140 MW was installed by the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment for self-consumption, thanks mainly to subsidies offered under the National Recovery Plan.
At the end of 2023, the country’s cumulative installed solar PV capacity reached almost 3.5 GW with more than 170,000 solar power plants online, including well over 150,000 on residential rooftops.
However, Solární Asociace is not too happy with the sluggish growth of solar parks in the country as in the absence of higher volume of renewable energy, it fears electricity in the Czech Republic will cost a lot more than its neighbors.
“Today’s growth is driven by rooftop power plants for family homes or companies. However, if we want to use the potential of solar energy in the Czech Republic and, above all, to prepare for the very real scenario that coal-fired power plants will be shut down earlier than expected, we must add to the construction of solar parks,” warns the association’s Executive Director Jan Krčmář. “Otherwise, we can get to a situation where coal-fired power plants stop paying operators and new nuclear units are not yet built.”
It expects further growth for solar PV in 2024 as corporates invest in larger power plants that are likely to be subsidized under the EU Modernization Fund. The association also bats for agrivoltaics to ensure dual use of land.
The Czech Republic aims to grow the share of renewable energy in its total power mix to 30% by 2030 under its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). It includes 4 GW solar PV under existing measures, going up to 8 GW with additional measures, according to SolarPower Europe’s EU Market Outlook for Solar Power 2023-2027 (see EU Solar PV Installations Reach 56 GW In 2023).
