Poland as the EU Leader in Terms of Photovoltaic Market Growth Dynamics—Behind the Scenes

Abstract

The growing climate crisis forces the adoption of radical steps to neutralize our impact on the environment, despite the constantly growing demand for energy. Poland, which according to forecasts will not reach the EU target of 15% share of renewable energy sources by 2030, is nevertheless a leader in the EU in terms of the growth dynamics of the photovoltaic market. The aim of this article is to answer the question as to what caused such a huge interest in solar energy. In this article, the authors focus solely on residential installations. The dataset for the analysis was constructed on readily available national data on photovoltaics showing the key characteristics of the country and prosumers. According to this research, the prosumer’s profile shows that home photovoltaics are most interesting for the poorest households in rural municipalities, in regions with the highest unemployment rate, and among citizens of pre-retirement age. The decision to invest in photovoltaics is also influenced by the availability of subsidies and the price level of energy bills. On the other hand, no impact was found on insolation and environmental pollution. The results of the study will allow for a more conscious shaping of energy policy at the EU, national and regional levels.

Keywords

• photovoltaic
• solar energy
• renewable energy sources (RES)
• prosumers
• Poland
• energy policy