Czechia added at least 967 MW of solar in 2024, according to data from Solární Asociace.

The result builds on the 484 MW that were installed in Czechia during the first six months of 2024 and falls in line with installation figures from 2023, when 970 MW were deployed.

Jan Krčmář, executive director of the association, told pv magazine the final figure could be around 1 GW when off-grid systems and local distribution networks are taken into consideration.

In 2024, the C&I market led Czechia’s new solar installations, accounting for approximately 500 MW of the added solar, followed by the residential (430 MW) and utility-scale markets (40 MW).

“Czechia is still a subsidy driven market. Almost all residential and C&I rooftop projects are subsidy based,” Krčmář said. “Because there are no auctions for utility-scale and power purchase agreements are very rare, almost no projects of this type are being built.”

Krčmář said future solar additions depend on Czechia's ability to revive its utility-scale sector. Current estimates predict 800 MW to 1 GW of solar this year and 800 MW to 1.4 GW in 2026, based on utility-scale growth.

Krčmář also said that Czechia’s solar sector needs stability looking ahead, with retroactive cuts to feed-in-tariffs (FITs) on some solar systems looming after the Czech lower house of parliament backed the proposal in December 2024.

“We are still fighting retroactive changes to 2 GWp of ‘old’ solar from 2009 to 2010,” Krčmář told pv magazine. “Almost all new projects are being developed by companies that operate these old PV plants and their new projects would be jeopardised if the FiT for the old projects is cut.”

He said that Solární Asociace would recommend auctions or big improvements to the permitting problems that companies are currently experiencing to support the sector.

“For rooftop projects we need predictable subsidy programmes. Conditions for the residential sector were changed twice in the last 12 months,” Krčmář said. “The C&I sector is dealing with problems in administering subsidies for companies that need to be eliminated soon.”

In 2024, Czechia introduced its first rules for agrivoltaics, which the Czech parliament expanded with a new wave of approvals at the start of this year.

Last year, the European Investment Bank also granted a €400 million ($420 million) loan to Czech utility ČEZ to upgrade and expand Czechia’s electricity distribution grid.