The production capacity of solar panels connected to the distribution network operator AS Sadales tīkls reached 500 megawatts (MW) in July this year, the company reported. Of this, nearly 190 MW comes from approximately 22,400 micro generators, and the rest comes from nearly 1,000 solar power plants, or industrial solar parks. Another 750 MW of capacity in the distribution system has been reserved for future power plants, primarily solar power plants. Sandis Jansons, Chairman of the Board of Sadales tīkls, says that the first 600 MW in the solar generation capacity distribution system will be reached this year. The volume of solar generation in Latvia is growing rapidly, and its impact can be seen in the share of electricity produced by solar panels. Jansons emphasizes that in the first half of 2024, almost 180 gigawatt-hours of solar electricity were produced and transmitted to the distribution system, which is three times more than in the same period last year. "We predict that at this rate of development, already next year, in the middle of a sunny day, solar power plants alone will be able to fully meet the entire volume of electricity needed by the country," Jansons said. Representatives of Sadales tīkls note that the records of electricity produced using renewable energy resources against the backdrop of stagnant amounts of distributed electricity are a reminder of the need to stimulate electricity consumption, including by supporting electrification measures. In the near future, faster electrification is expected in the transport sector, as well as great potential for electrification in district heating, such as the use of potentially cheap solar energy to provide centralized hot water supply services in the summer, the company noted. Sadales tīkls is actively involved in expanding the electric vehicle charging network, implementing connections with financial support from the European Union Recovery Fund for expanding the charging station network.
