Central Europe Shines Bright: Solar Surge Transforms Regional Energy Landscape

As of October 2025, Central Europe has emerged as a surprise leader in global energy transition efforts, driven by a rapid surge in solar power generation and widespread deployment of battery storage systems.

Several major Central European economies, including Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Poland, have significantly boosted the share of utility electricity production from solar farms since 2022. This rapid growth in solar output has enabled steep cuts to the share of generation from fossil fuel plants, which have fallen to record lows across the region so far in 2025.

The solar power boom is being amplified by a steep increase in grid-scale battery energy storage systems, many of which are being manufactured locally. This combination of ramped-up solar and battery use is helping Central Europe defy expectations that the region would remain tied to legacy fossil fuel generation.

Austria and Hungary stand out as key drivers of the regional solar transition. Both countries have drastically reduced their reliance on Russian energy imports since 2022, with Austria now fulfilling most of its gas needs from Slovakia. Meanwhile, Hungary has cut the share of gas in its electricity mix from over 25% prior to 2022 to below 20%, while ramping up solar output to account for around 33% of its electricity supplies in 2025.

The broader trend of solar growth and fossil fuel decline is evident across Central Europe, with Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic also sharply boosting solar generation while reducing fossil fuel use in recent years. Experts predict that solar is on track to overtake fossil fuels as the dominant electricity source in the region in the coming years.