Eastern Europe

Czechia’s largest electricity distributor, ČEZ Distribuce, says 9,084 solar power plants were connected across its network during the first half of the year, 86% of which were equipped with an energy storage system.

A solar-plus-storage system has been installed at a hospital in northeastern Ukraine in an area frequently impacted by electricity cut-offs due to Russia’s targeting of energy infrastructure. RePower Ukraine says the system offers the hospital reliable power to treat 50,000 patients annually.

The budget for the sixth round of Poland’s rebate scheme for residential solar and storage installations was extended to a record PLN 1.85 billion ($511.8 million), up from an original PLN 400 million, after receiving 121,000 applications. Over half of the budget will be allocated to home energy storage facilities.

Qatari researchers tell pv magazine that they have designed the world’s first hybrid station concept combining PV, liquid air, hydrogen storage, and batteries for EV charging and hydrogen refueling.

Ukraine’s DTEK has completed a 200 MW/400 MWh battery project, the nation’s largest, in just six months using remote commissioning with Fluence.

Researchers have collected data from solar sensor-equipped vehicles, racking up over a million km mainly in the Benelux and German region, to be able to make more accurate efficiency and yield predictions. The research project is part of an ongoing three-year European assessment of VIPV.

Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia’s cumulative solar generation increased sixfold between 2019 and 2024, while each country made efforts to reduce its coal dependency. However, energy think tank Ember says a lack of battery storage uptake and solar targets below the EU average risk derailing progress.

Azerbaijan has started construction of 250 MW/500 MWh battery systems, the largest in the country, while Uzbekistan is securing financing for its first utility-scale wind farm paired with battery storage, marking a regional milestone in renewable integration.

New research from Hungary shows that Sarahan dust events can reduce PV power output in five Mediterranean countries by an average of 25-40%. The scientists stressed the need for including real-time dust monitoring and cloud interactions in solar forecasting.

Czechia’s cybersecurity office said Chinese solar inverters in small power plants are a potential security threat. The Czech solar association told pv magazine work needs to be done on incentivizing European manufacturing to resolve the reliance on imports.