By installing ten million square metres of solar panels, Budapest could very significantly reduce its emissions and energy dependence. To this end, the Municipality of Budapest has launched a programme to promote the widespread deployment and integration of solar energy in Budapest.
In Budapest, solar panels currently account for only a fraction of total electricity consumption, less than 1%. To meet the climate targets set in the Budapest Climate Strategy, the current solar capacity in the capital needs to be increased by a factor of about 130. In the Budapest Climate Strategy, the capital has committed to achieve a 40% reduction in the capital’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
Installing a total of 1,500 MW of solar panels, i.e. around ten million square metres, would save nearly five hundred thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere by the electricity use of all Budapest residents in one year. The solar panel programme would reduce Budapest’s total CO2 emissions by eight percent.
The Municipality of Budapest has neither the resources nor the authority to solve the complex problems of urban energy supply and environmental protection on its own. However, the Municipality is keen to play a role in promoting solar PV development in Budapest, involving all stakeholders: residents, electricity suppliers, public transport, district authorities, financiers and industry experts.