Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has unveiled an ambitious strategy to harness the city’s rooftop solar potential, aiming to install ten million square metres of solar modules paired with energy storage. This initiative represents a significant technical capacity of approximately 5 GW, which the Mayor notes is roughly two and a half times the capacity of the Paks nuclear power plant. While the annual electricity generation from these installations is estimated at 5.5 to 6 TWh, the project marks a major shift toward urban renewable energy integration and a substantial reduction in the capital’s carbon footprint.
The city’s plan aligns with a broader national energy strategy recently adopted by the Hungarian government, which includes a substantial investment of HUF 868 billion. This national funding is earmarked for critical infrastructure upgrades, including grid modernisation, the expansion of energy storage, and the promotion of geothermal and wind energy. Furthermore, the policy aims to streamline grid connections for residential solar systems, addressing previous regulatory hurdles that had previously stalled the growth of rooftop installations across the country.
Full execution of the “Powered by the Sun” programme is projected to decrease CO2 emissions by nearly 500,000 tonnes annually. Mayor Karácsony emphasized that the total potential output from these rooftop systems could theoretically match the yearly electricity consumption of Budapest’s residents. To achieve these goals, the Mayor proposed a collaborative framework where the national government provides the regulatory and financial foundation, the city manages implementation, and both the private sector and local citizens contribute through investment and active participation in the transition to renewable energy.