Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has said that the Hungarian capital intends to harness its rooftop solar potential by installing ten million square meters of solar panels and energy storage systems.
The solar potential of Budapest’s rooftops is around 5,000 megawatts, Mayor Gergely Karácsony noted in a Facebook post, adding that the figure is two and a half times greater than the installed capacity of the Paks nuclear power plant.
However, these rooftop solar power plants would generate between 5.5 and 6 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, while Paks produces 15–16 TWh per year.
Last week, the Hungarian government adopted a comprehensive energy plan, envisaging an investment of HUF 868 billion (EUR 2.39 billion) in its first phase, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said.
The plan includes the modernization of the power grid, an increase in energy storage capacity, the development of geothermal and wind energy projects, and faster grid connections for household solar systems.
Karácsony pointed out that the new national plan aligns with Budapest’s target of installing ten million square meters of solar panels across the city, along with energy storage systems.
Budapest launched a program called Powered by the Sun in 2021, as part of which the city’s solar map was developed, Karácsony recalled.
However, the previous government of Viktor Orbán banned electricity generated by new solar systems from being fed into the grid, effectively preventing their installation, Karácsony wrote.
Rooftop solar power plants could generate approximately as much electricity as Budapest’s residents consume in a year
Implementing the Powered by the Sun program would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 500,000 tonnes per year, and the solar power plants could generate approximately as much electricity as Budapest’s residents consume in a year, he added.
“The impacts of climate change will be felt first and foremost in cities, but no city can tackle this challenge alone,” Karácsony wrote, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the national government and Budapest authorities.
According to him, the state should establish a regulatory and financial framework, the city should apply it in practice, and the private sector should translate it into investments and technologies. Citizens should not be merely passive participants in this transition either, Karácsony said.
