The Hungarian solar industry has experienced great development, with the biggest expansion last year when 1.6 gigawatts of solar panels were installed, the Energy Minister announced at a press conference in Brussels on Monday.
Csaba Lantos, who was attending a meeting of EU energy ministers, said that by the beginning of this year, more than six gigawatts of solar panels had been installed in the country. He added that last year, 18 percent of the electricity generated came from solar panels, and
Hungary is in second place in the EU in this comparison.
He pointed out that the target of six gigawatts should have been reached only by 2030, but as Hungary had already met it, the target was raised to 12 gigawatts by the end of the same period.
In this spirit, the government has announced various programs and subsidies, including the Solar Plus program that supports families in the production and storage of green energy. He pointed out that in addition to solar power, there is a need for balancing capacity to store the electricity generated by solar power.
The minister noted that the EU’s climate targets for 2050, require 80-90 gigawatts of solar panels per year, but the EU produces only two gigawatts. He said that Europe should not compete with U.S. or Chinese production, but should ensure its competitiveness in this field through innovative technology.