Renewables Dominate Poland's Electricity Capacity

By the end of 2025, renewable energy sources accounted for more than half of Poland’s installed electricity generation capacity for the first time. Their share of actual electricity production also exceeded the 30 percent mark for the first time. The Ministry of Climate and Environment announced this on February 17.

Between 2020 and 2025, the energy transition accelerated significantly. Green energy sources now play a much larger role in the electricity system. Emissions intensity fell at times to around 650 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilowatt-hour. Just a few years ago, it was still around 800 grams.

Nevertheless, Poland remains heavily dependent on coal. Hard coal and lignite continue to account for more than half of the energy mix. As a result, the country is still among the most emissions-intensive electricity producers in the EU.

A fundamental shift is not expected until the early 2030s, when Poland’s first nuclear power plant is scheduled to go online.

Solar Boom Drives Expansion

The expansion of renewable energy proceeded rapidly. In 2020, it accounted for 24.1 percent of total installed capacity. By 2025, this share had risen to over 50 percent. Total capacity grew from 12,490 to 37,777 megawatts.

Solar energy saw particularly strong growth. Installed photovoltaic capacity rose from 3,960 megawatts in 2020 to 24,808 megawatts in 2025. Wind power was also expanded. Its capacity increased from 6,402 to 10,550 megawatts.

Actual electricity production from renewable sources also increased significantly. In 2020, it stood at 28,173 gigawatt-hours. Five years later, it reached 54,743 gigawatt-hours—nearly double the previous figure.

The share of renewable energy in total electricity generation rose from 17.8 percent in 2020 to 31.4 percent in 2025. This means that nearly one in every three kilowatt-hours produced in Poland now comes from green sources.

This article was produced in cooperation with our partner bne intelliNews