Czech Solar Plants Generated a Record Volume of Electricity Last Year, with Nearly 15% Produced “for Free”

Generation by solar power plants reached 3.9 TWh in 2024, according to preliminary data submitted by ČEPS through the ENTSO-E system. This represents a record annual output from solar sources. However, the record generation also has one negative implication. These plants produced nearly 15% of their output “for free”, i.e. when electricity prices were zero or negative.

Solar power plants in Czechia had a record year. Last year, they became the third-largest source of electricity in the Czech Republic for the first time. Only lignite-fired and nuclear power plants, which have long dominated the Czech energy mix, generated more electricity than solar plants.

According to ENTSO-E data, solar power plants generated approximately 1 TWh more electricity last year than in the year before. While generation stood at around 2.8 TWh in 2023, it rose to as much as 3.9 TWh last year.

Higher generation is primarily being driven by new capacity installed in the post-crisis period. In 2023, newly added solar capacity approached 1000 MW, and last year will be no different. The Solar Association announced as early as the middle of last year that 484 MW had been added in the first six months of the year. Since then, a further 170 MW of new solar capacity has been licensed, according to Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) statistics. If the trend set in the first half continues, approximately 900 MW of new installed capacity can be expected for the full year.