2023 was an extreme year for solar power in Sweden, with a turbulent European energy crisis creating a unique interest in PV. In 2024, installations returned to the level of 2022. At the same time, recent figures from the Swedish Energy Agency show that investments in batteries are now increasing significantly, strengthening the opportunities to integrate more weather-dependent, renewable power generation into the energy system.
We see fewer PV installations in 2024, which is to be expected as 2023 was an extreme year. At the same time, we see a lot of interest in batteries, which is more than gratifying,' says Anna Werner, CEO of Svensk Solenergi (Swedish Solar Energy Association).
High interest in larger solar installations
It is mainly the residential market for PV systems that has decreased compared to 2023. Interest in larger solar plants remains high, with a large number of applications awaiting decisions.
Co-located solar park for a resilient grid completed in Sweden
"We see that smaller solar parks, up to 10 hectares, receive decisions relatively quickly. Here, the county administrations have become much better, thanks to more experience and some precedent-setting decisions. For larger parks, approvals still sometimes take an unreasonable amount of time and the queues are long," says Anna Werner.
Fivefold increase of commercial and utility-scale batteries
According to figures from Svensk Solenergi and the Swedish Tax Agency, the installation of residential battery systems will increase by 40 percent by 2024. Batteries are important for integrating more solar power into the electricity system, as they enable the storage of intermittent electricity and provide flexibility and stability to the grid.
Sweden: Batteries are not a 'threat to the grid'
"Batteries allow us to store electricity that is dependent on the weather throughout the day. But they are also very effective in reinforcing the electricity grid, as they can quickly balance the grid in the event of rapid power outages and can be used for frequency regulation - maintaining the balance between production and consumption," says Anna Werner.
Market for hybrid power plants in Europe still in the starting blocks
In addition to the great interest in residential battery installations, large battery parks are also on the rise in Sweden. Svensk Solenergi estimates that the capacity of commercial batteries and large-scale battery parks will increase fivefold from 200 MW in 2023 to more than 1,000 MW by the end of 2024. (hcn)
