According to Bulgarian Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity (APSTE), the country could add 7 GW in renewable energy capacity and 1,750 MW in energy storage systems by 2030 if it chooses to pursue the ambitious green transition policies.
The APSTE report shows that Bulgaria has the potential to add 4,650 MW of solar capacity and 2,350 MW of onshore wind capacity by 2030, thus bringing the share of electricity generated from renewable sources to 58 %.
Despite being rich in renewable energy sources, Bulgaria burns about 30 million tons of low-quality lignite a year to meet almost half of its energy needs. Around 80 % of Bulgaria’s heating needs are covered by fossil fuels.
As a possible solution, APSTE proposes the electrification of heating via energy storage. However, Bulgaria lacks policies in support of energy storage and the regulatory framework is still too complex.
