Sweden Installed Around 400 MW New PV In 2020

• Almost 400 MW of solar PV capacity was grid connected in Sweden in 2020, growing from 287 MW in 2019
• It took the total grid connected PV capacity of the country at the end of 2020 to 1.09 GW, crossing the GW milestone
• Total solar systems installed in the country at 2020-end were a total of 65,819, with the addition of around 22,000 last year

Swedish Energy Agency Energimyndigheten has confirmed the country's cumulative installed grid connected solar PV capacity at the end of 2020 crossed the 1 GW threshold reaching 1.09 GW, growing from 698 MW reported till the end of 2019.

Contributing to this aggregate was the year 2020 with close to 400 MW coming online in the form of almost 22,000 systems, up from 287 MW reported for the year 2019 (see Sweden Installed Record 287 MW PV In 2019).

Total grid connected systems in the country at the end of 2020 were counted as 65,819, more than 20,000 compared to 43,944 in 2019. The agency pointed out that all municipalities in the country now have at least 1 grid connected PV system, and it is the municipality of Gothenburg that has the largest installed power with 39.8 MW (with 17.2 MW added in 2020).

Following Gothenburg was the municipality of Strängnäs where installations grew by 344% in 2020 to 14.5 MW, the most for any of the regions last year.

The main driver for solar PV in Sweden continues to be the rooftop solar segment as the maximum installations in 2020 were registered in the under 20 kW system range, followed by 20 kW to 1 MW, and eventually from more than 1 MW range.

Celebrating the GW milestone reached, CEO of Swedish solar energy association Svensk Solenergi Anna Werner said going forward the government must ensure ease in obtaining permits for solar parks to ensure the development of solar PV in the country doesn't slow down, yet she pointed out that Sweden is far behind its European counterparts in terms of roll out of large solar parks.

It is something that SolarPower Europe (SPE) agrees with. In its EU Market Outlook for Solar Power 2020-2024, SPE said the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Sweden shows a 'relatively low ambition for solar energy before 2030 with 1.6 GW of newly installed capacity, while anticipating more than 7 GW post 2030. It recommends providing more visibility to investors for its future auction schedule, volume, and design.

By 2024 Sweden is anticipated to report a total of 3.4 GW solar PV capacity in the solar analysts' medium scenario, according to the SPE report (see SolarPower Europe Says EU Added 18.2 GW Solar In 2020).