Latest News

Maguire: Solar and batteries can help Central Europe reduce its dependence on fossil fuels

Central Europe, a region not known for its sunshine, is proving to be a leader in the global energy transition through clever use of local battery energy storage systems and solar parks.

As part of their efforts to increase the domestic energy supply, several major Central European economies, including Austria, Hungary and Romania, have increased dramatically since 2022 the share of electricity produced by solar farms.

This rapid growth in solar power has enabled steep reductions in the amount of fossil fuels used to generate electricity, with the percentage falling to new lows in the entire region in 2025.

The use of grid-scale batteries, which are largely manufactured locally and are a result of policies to support local jobs, is also boosting the surge in solar power. Combining solar power and battery technology, Central Europe is able to defy the expectations that it would be a region tied to fossil fuels and become a leader of regional energy transition.

STAR POWER

Austria and Hungary are the two nations in Central Europe that have been most influential in boosting solar energy and reducing fossil fuel dependence.

Both economies are expected to be heavily dependent on Russian exports of energy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022 due to a lack of other options for imports.

Austria, which used to rely on Russia for 90% of its gas supply, has been able to reduce its direct Russian imports dramatically since 2022 and has met most of its needs in 2025 by sourcing gas from Slovakia.

While Hungary has continued to buy Russian oil and natural gas, even though the European Union has reduced Russian imports, Hungary’s electricity system has decreased its reliance on gas from more than 25% before 2022 to less than 20% while increasing solar production.

In fact, Austria and Hungary generate more electricity from solar farms now than fossil fuels. This is a dramatic change from only two years ago, when fossil fuels accounted for the majority of electricity.

According to Ember, Austria's energy think-tank, data shows that by 2025, solar farms will generate around 17% and fossil fuel plants 10% of the electricity.

This compares with a solar share of 6% and a fossil fuel share of roughly 19% in 2022.

Around 33% of Hungary's electricity will be supplied by solar farms in 2025, while around 22% will come from fossil fuel plants. This compares with a solar share of 14% and a fossil fuel share of 35% in 2022.

WIDER TREND

In recent years, Romania, Poland and Slovakia have all increased their solar energy production while simultaneously reducing the use of fossil fuels.

Solar energy is growing much faster than fossil fuels and will likely overtake fossil fuels in the next few years.

Solar capacity has risen dramatically in the region since 2019.

Ember data show that the cumulative solar generation capacity of Austria, Hungary and Romania, as well as Poland, has increased by 460% from 2019 to 2024. This is a jump from 8 gigawatts in 2019.

This growth rate compares with a 145% increase in Europe's overall solar generation capacity during the same time period. It indicates that Central Europe has grown roughly three times faster than the European average.

Charge up

The rapid growth of the production and usage of battery energy systems (BESS) has been a key factor in Central Europe's solar adoption.

According to local utility filings, the battery energy storage capacity in Austria, Hungary, and Romania has increased by 472% between 2022 and 2025.

After large investments across Europe in upgrading the electricity grid, the BESS capacity is expected to increase over the next decade.

Project filings across Central Europe suggest that energy capacity for BESS installations could increase by more than tenfold in 2030, as each major power grid increases both its solar and storage capacities.

These increases in clean energy supply are likely to allow Central Europe to maintain its momentum as an important global energy transition engine.

These are the opinions of the columnist, an author for.

You like this article? Check it out

Open Interest

The new global financial commentary source (ROI) is your go-to for all the latest news and analysis. ROI provides data-driven, thought-provoking analysis on everything from soybeans to swap rates. The markets are changing faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on

You can find us on LinkedIn.

(source: Reuters)