Poland

Greenvolt Power, a Portuguese independent power producer, says it was awarded 1.2 GW of capacity for six battery energy storage systems (BESS) in a recent renewable energy auction in Poland, claiming it was the “top winner.”

‘It is a project that stands as an example of energy transition,’ Duarte Bello, CEO of EDP Renewables’ Europe and Latin America operations told pv magazine. The new 200 MW solar PV plant is now generating energy on a former brown open-pit lignite site.

Amendments to Poland’s renewable energy laws will go into effect in October, permitting the installation of solar systems up to 150 kW in size, without the need for building permits. Piotr Pająk, a local PV analyst, says the changes will support investments in rooftop solar projects.

Poland will more than double its installed PV capacity between 2023 and 2025, according to research institute IEO. pv magazine spoke with IEO researcher Agata Krzyżanowska about the main market drivers, the trajectory of the auction system, and potential grid constraints.

The Polish government says it will launch the fifth round of its Mój Prąd program in April. The scheme will offer rebates for air and ground heat pumps, as well as residential batteries.

A new Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) study shows there is a strong economic case for owning and operating heat pumps in Poland, which was Europe’s fastest-growing market in 2021. Air-to-water heat pumps cost about €8,000 ($8,210) in the country, with lifetime operating costs estimated at €12,500.

Poland hit 11 GW of installed PV capacity at the end of August. The distributed-generation PV segment continues to drive the growth of the Polish solar market, despite recent changes in legislation.

Lithuanian energy company Ignitis has purchased a 200 MW hybrid solar-wind project in Latvia. The installation is in the early stages of development, with construction scheduled to begin in 2025.

Alpha Solar currently has a solar project pipeline with a capacity of 3 GW in Poland.

Poland’s micro-installation market is rapidly consolidating as it shifts from net metering to net billing.