According to a report published by the Institute for Renewable Energy (IEO), in the past year there the PV sector in Poland has expanded significantly, both in terms of the number of new installations and total installed capacity. In 2023, most of the new capacity came from large photovoltaic farms with a capacity exceeding 30 MW, and this accounted for 873 MW of new installed capacity. PV continues to hold its position as the main source of renewable energy in the country.
According to the latest data from the report „Working Photovoltaic Installations in Poland 2024” prepared by the Institute for Renewable Energy, in the first quarter of this year there were 4,870 PV installations with a capacity exceeding 50 kW, of which 262 are large farms with a capacity exceeding 0.5 MW. The total installed capacity in this category, excluding micro-installations, reached 5.4 GW. Compared to 2022, there was a 41% increase in new installed capacity in 2023.
Source: Renewable Energy Institute. Capacity by year. Blue – small installations, green – farms.
„Last year, the Polish photovoltaic sector achieved historic results, both in terms of the number of installations completed and the total capacity of installed equipment. During this period, 80 large photovoltaic farms were connected to the grid, generating a total of 0.77 GW of power, and 1,417 smaller installations with a capacity of 1.1 GW, ranging from 50 kW to 1 MW. Most of the new capacity was added thanks to the commissioning of photovoltaic farms with a capacity of more than 30 MW. This contributed to the installation of 873 MW in this segment,” the report says.
Source: Renewable Energy Institute. Number of installations by year. Blue – small installations, green – farms.
The largest number of photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 0.5-1 MW is a total of 3544, of which 3510 are small installations, and 34 are larger farms. The largest number of photovoltaic farms in Poland, i.e. 175 out of 262, operate in the capacity range of 1-5 MW. It is worth noting that the deployment of photovoltaic installations in Poland presents a diverse picture. The number and total capacity of these installations reaches the highest numbers in the following voivodeships: wielkopolskie (701 installations with a total capacity of 887.84 MW), warmińsko-mazurskie (404 installations with a total capacity of 544.81 MW) and lubuskie (401 installations with a total capacity of 510.77 MW).
Source: Renewable Energy Institute. Total number of all installations.
Source: Renewable Energy Institute. Capacity of all installations.
The largest number of photovoltaic farms can be found in three voivodeships: Warmia-Masuria (48 farms, with a total capacity of 233.57 MW), Wielkopolska (34 farms, with a total capacity of 307.49 MW) and lubelskie (21 farms, with a total capacity of 121.11 MW). Other regions where there is a significant number of photovoltaic farms are: Pomerania (17 farms, with a total capacity of 298.96 MW), West Pomerania (15 farms, with a total capacity of 146.63 MW) and lubuskie (15 farms, with a total capacity of 153.96 MW). PVs clearly dominate the country as the main source of renewable energy. At the end of 2023, the installed capacity in photovoltaic panels exceeded 17 GW. The total capacity of wind farms reached 9.4 GW, and biomass-based installations amounted to 0.98 GW.
Source: Renewable Energy Institute. Total capacity of renewables on 31.12.2023.
„The database <Working Photovoltaic Installations in Poland 2024> prepared by the Institute for Renewable Energy is the first of its kind on the market. It contains an up-to-date list with detailed information on small PV installations with a capacity of 50 kW to 1 MW and PV farms with a capacity of more than 1 MW, including data on their location, connection capacity, start date of electricity generation, name and address of the investor. The analytical part of the study presents the location of installations on maps, as well as statistical summaries and interpretations,” the Institute said.
Institute for Renewable Energy / Mateusz Gibała