The proportion of photovoltaic energy storage in Budapest s industrial and commercial sectors

The installed solar PV capacity in Hungary as of 2018, was about 790 MWp. The target of the Hungarian Renewable Action Plan is to have 14.65% (2568 MW) of the electricity demand supplied by renewable energy sources by 2020.

Hungary's PV energy potential portrays her as a country having an average PV power potential in Europe [ 6] (see Table 1 ). In 2017, the installed grid-connected solar PV system capacity in Hungary was about 90 MWp; this raised the cumulative installed capacity to 380 MWp by the end of 2017 [ 7 ].

The over 100% growth experienced in 2018, was as a result of government's policy support, PV regulation and PV investment attractiveness of the country [10 ]. Hungary's PV capacity has been growing at a very fast rate in the past few years and becoming one of the vibrant solar PV markets in Europe [ 11 ].

Regarding solar energy resource potential, the sunshine hours in Hungary range from 1950–2150 hours annually, with the annual global horizontal solar radiation received being 1280 kWh/m 2. These values characterise Hungary as having a comparatively high potential for solar energy exploitation [ 3 ].

The importance and popularity of solar electricity production grows year by year. It made up already one-third of all electricity produced in Hungary in June 2024. The capacity of solar power systems per inhabitant was the highest in Southern Great Plain, in districts around Lake Balaton and in agglomerations of large towns at the end of 2023.

The study highlights Hungary's efforts to scale solar energy, aiming for 20% renewable energy by 2030 and 1,500 MW of solar capacity in Budapest. It addresses barriers like complex regulations, heritage protections, and inconsistent district guidelines, proposing streamlined processes and clearer legal frameworks.