The contribution of solar power to Poland’s energy mix has more than tripled in recent years, from 2.2% in 2021 to 7.3% in 2023, according to figures from Ember, a change that Roman Karbowy, chairman of the AgriPV Working Group within the Polish Photovoltaics Association, called nothing short of a “revolution”.
Karbowy spoke exclusively to PV Tech Premium about this transition, and how, unlike in some other countries, this shift has been driven largely by small-scale solar installations, such as rooftop residential.
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“This revolution came not from the large-scale PV, but started from the really small scale, up to 1MW installations,” he says, referring to rooftop residential solar in particular as a cornerstone of this transition. “They were growing all over Poland, and right now, renewables can provide more than 30% of the Polish energy mix, which is a huge gain in a few years.”
Speaking in his position as head of the AgriPV Working Group, however, he notes that the picture for agrivoltaics (agriPV) is less encouraging, with concerns among farmers that the addition of agriPV could spoil prime agricultural land remaining an obstacle for the deployment of the technology. This is especially concerning considering the vast potential for agriPV in Europe, with figures from the European Commission suggesting that agriPV, if installed on just 1% of Europe’s farmland, could single-handedly meet Europe’s 2030 solar capacity installation goals.
Considering this vast potential, and the recent rapid changes in Poland’s energy mix, the future could be bright for agriPV in the country, provided there is support, both within the agricultural industry and the national government, for the practice.
Read the full interview with Karbowy here.
PV Tech publisher Solar Media will be organising the fourth edition of Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe in Warsaw, Poland 26-27 November 2024. The event will focus on Eastern Europe with a packed programme of panels from industry leaders, including Roman Kabowy, responsible for the build out of solar and storage projects in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and the Baltics. For more information visit the event website.
