Renewables

Austria set to add over 1 GW in solar power in 2022

Austria can reach 1,2 GW with additional solar in 2022

Photo: Daniel from Pixabay

Published

November 25, 2022

Country

Author

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

November 25, 2022

Country:

Author

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Austria is on track to install more than 1 GW in photovoltaics this year and as much as 1.5 GW every year by 2030 to reach a 100% share of renewables. However, industry experts point to several challenges.

Hubert Fechner, chair of the Austrian Photovoltaics Technology Platform, told pv magazine that the organization expects “significantly more than 1 GW, maybe 1.1 GW, 1.2 GW or more” in solar power installations in 2022. He called the current dynamics in the PV market “extraordinary”.

Thus, the country could reach 4 GW in cumulative solar power capacity this year, compared to 2.8 GW in 2021.

Switch to 100% renewables for electricity by 2030 is possible

Fechner forecasted that Austria would add between 1.2 GW to 1.5 GW next year and every year through 2030. It means it could reach 13 GW, which the Photovoltaic Austria association sees as necessary to boost the share of renewables to 100%.

Of note, the southeastern Austrian state of Styria plans to earmark almost 1,000 hectares of land as solar park zones. Its capital city, Graz, made solar panels obligatory on new buildings.

Public acceptance and grid expansion as challenges

Fechner considers the public acceptance of grounded-mounted solar systems as the main challenge for the expansion of photovoltaics in Austria.  The resistance of local communities can be higher than to solar installations on existing structures, as solar panels on land may cause conflicts with farmers or people who live nearby.

Another important point is the state of the grid. In order to be able to use and transfer the electricity from new solar power installations to regions where less or no electricity can be generated with photovoltaics, it is important to expand the network.

“Austria has completely missed the comprehensive grid expansion that we all need for a 100% renewable power supply in the following years,” Chair of Photovoltaic Austria Herbert Paierl told pv magazine.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Rolls-Royce SMR to start works with CEZ on small modular reactors

Rolls-Royce SMR to start works with ČEZ on small modular reactors

22 July 2025 - Rolls-Royce SMR and Czech utility ČEZ have signed an early works agreement within their strategic partnership for small modular reactors

croatia vireas agency north AI energy

Meet VIREAS: new AI-powered virtual assistant for energy

22 July 2025 - The VIREAS app is an interactive platform that enables users to engage with an AI assistant on various topics related to energy

Slovenia grants renewables district heating cooling

Slovenia kicks off grants program for renewables-based district heating, cooling

22 July 2025 - Slovenia is cofunding the construction or restructuring of district heating and cooling systems using renewable energy sources

Germany supports Serbia in clean energy supply, environmental protection

Germany supports Serbia in clean energy supply, environmental protection

22 July 2025 - Serbia and KfW signed a EUR 135 million loan for the second phase of the Green Transition Development Policy Operation (DPO II) program