Austria deploys 1.4 GW of new solar in January-September period

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From pv magazine Germany

Austria installed 399 MW of new solar capacity in the third quarter of 2024, according to data from E-Control, the national energy regulator. This data, collected from 16 major grid operators covering about 85% of Austria’s grid, shows a strong deployment but a slight decrease from the growth rate seen in the first half of 2024.

E-Control said that 20,929 new PV systems were installed in the third quarter, pushing the year-to-date capacity addition to over 1.4 GW – surpassing the annual target of 1.1 GW outlined in the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG). The EAG aims for 11 TWh of photovoltaic capacity by 2030, with a long-term goal of 100% renewable electricity generation.

While applications for new systems slowed somewhat in the third quarter, they remained high, with nearly 21,000 new applications plus 6,451 submissions for small-scale plug-in solar devices. Although slightly below the second quarter's peak, this figure nearly doubles that of the third quarter in 2023.

Most new capacity came from rooftop installations, with 86% of applications for systems ranging from 0.8 kW to 20 kW. Medium-scale systems between 20 kW and 250 kW made up 12%, while larger systems over 250 kW accounted for only 1.53% of applications. Additionally, 22 applications were submitted for projects ranging from 5 MW to 35 MW.

The highest number of applications in the third quarter came from Lower and Upper Austria, followed by Styria, each reporting more than 5,000 applications. Burgenland and Vorarlberg recorded the fewest applications, with fewer than 1,000 each.

In 2023, Austria installed approximately 134,000 PV systems, totaling 2.6 GW of capacity, bringing the cumulative total to around 390,000 PV systems with 6.4 GW capacity by year’s end. Solar power now supplies about 12% of the country’s electricity demand.

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