ČEZ raises solar power generation by 13% year on year to 111 GWh in first half
Energy group ČEZ increased electricity generation at its solar power plants by 13% year on year to 111 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the first half of this year. Newly commissioned plants and favourable weather were behind the increase. Output from solar power plants in the first half would cover the consumption of more than 60,000 households over the same period. ČEZ announced this today in a press release.
ČEZ has recently started operating photovoltaic power plants with a capacity of tens of megawatt-peak, with the total capacity of its operating photovoltaic facilities exceeding 220 megawatt-peak. ČEZ plans to continue increasing photovoltaic generation in the coming years. The group expects electricity generation from solar sources to rise by tens of percent in the coming years.
"In addition to the plants already commissioned, we have large parks under construction on brownfield sites, which we will bring online over the next two years. Near some of them, we are also building battery systems that will contribute to stabilising the energy system," said ČEZ vice-chairman of the board Pavel Cyrani.
An earlier Ipsos survey for ČEZ showed that the most preferred energy sources in the Czech Republic are nuclear power plants supplemented by renewable sources. According to the survey, 74% of people support the synergy between nuclear energy and renewable sources. For six in ten Czechs, nuclear power should account for the largest share of generation in the future, while renewable sources are seen as its natural complement for ensuring a stable energy system.
According to data from the Energy Regulatory Office, electricity generation in the Czech Republic increased by 3.2% year on year to 76.25 terawatt-hours (TWh) last year. As a result, the Czech Republic remained a net exporter last year. The cross-border balance, i.e. the difference between exports and imports, increased year on year from 6.7 TWh to 7.4 TWh. The largest amount of electricity was generated from nuclear power, at 32.1 TWh, followed by lignite at 25.2 TWh and photovoltaics at 4.3 TWh. Net electricity consumption rose by 1.8% year on year to 59 TWh.
