Turning to the sun: Solar rise in Central Europe

Hungary, Poland and Czechia surge ahead, leaving Slovakia behind

While the region as a whole has made remarkable progress, national developments tell a more uneven story. Hungary, Poland and Czechia emerged as the leaders, while Slovakia’s growth rate lagged behind. 

In Poland, solar PV has become a cornerstone of its renewable energy expansion over the past five years. Solar generation grew from 0.7 TWh in 2019 to 15 TWh in 2024, an increase of more than twentyfold. The number of solar prosumers exceeded 1.5 million in June 2025. In 2022, Poland recorded the third-highest solar capacity additions in the EU. 

After more than a decade of stagnation, Czechia re-entered the GW-scale solar market in 2023, adding over 1 GW of new PV capacity for the first time since 2010. The country had been an early European solar leader in 2009-2010, but retroactive policy changes and anti-PV sentiment stalled growth for years. The recent acceleration is evident in generation figures, as 2024 solar output (4 TWh) rose to nearly double its 2019 level (2.3 TWh). In 2024 alone, the grid connected nearly 45,000 new renewable and decentralised energy sources, many of them solar PV systems, equivalent in total capacity to one reactor of the Temelín nuclear power plant.

In both Poland and Czechia, the success of solar energy can be to a large extent attributed to the popularity of residential installations, supported by similar state initiatives, “Mój Prąd” (My Electricity) and “Nová zelená úsporám” (New Green Savings). Both programmes significantly cut upfront costs. Combined with rising electricity prices in recent years and relatively straightforward administrative processes, this has made them practical options for households looking to reduce bills. 

The growth seen over the past few years has already translated into record-breaking output in 2025. In June 2025, solar power supplied a remarkable 42% of Hungary’s electricity, setting a new monthly record. Poland’s upward trajectory continued, with solar contributing a record 22% of the country’s electricity generation, while cumulative installed capacity reached 23 GW. Czechia also experienced a significant surge, surpassing its previous generation records, with solar covering 10.5% of electricity generation in June 2024 and rising to 14.7% by June 2025, underscoring the rapid expansion of solar across the Visegrad region.