ČEZ increased renewable electricity generation in Czechia by 15 percent in the first half

Energy company ČEZ increased its year-on-year electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 15 percent in the first half of this year. It generated 1.9 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity from renewables. Wind and hydropower plants, which the company is continuously modernizing, contributed most to the increase. Photovoltaic generation, by contrast, fell. ČEZ informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) of the figures today. Overall, Czechia lags behind the European average in electricity generation from renewable sources.

ČEZ saw the sharpest rise in electricity generation at its hydropower plants, up 31 percent year on year. They benefited in particular from a rainy spring, delivering the most electricity to the grid in March and April. Favorable weather conditions also boosted generation at wind farms by 18 percent. By contrast, photovoltaic power plants saw generation fall by 13 percent year on year due to a longer winter and lower levels of sunshine.

ČEZ therefore considers this year favorable so far in terms of renewable generation. The company says the results confirm that renewable power plants can partly offset fluctuations in output between different types of sources. „When the sun is not shining, the wind may be blowing or it may be raining instead. This means that flexibility in the system does not have to be provided solely by batteries and pumped-storage plants; renewable sources can also partly balance one another,“ said Jan Kalina, a member of ČEZ’s board of directors and director of its Renewables and Conventional Energy division.