Solar power has grabbed a foothold in Romania, with installed capacity expected to surpass 7 gigawatts in early 2026, driven by high demand, EU funding and over 290,000 commercial and residential consumers.
The Eastern European country is rapidly installing solar to transition away from coal, enhance energy security, and meet European Union decarbonization targets.
While it is not among the top European countries for installed solar power — that, in descending order, is Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and France — Romania is aiming for 8.2 GW by 2030. The government plans to increase the share of renewables to 30.7% by the same year, focusing on solar and wind to replace older, polluting sources.
Solar currently supplies about 5% of Romania’s electricity mix, with approximately 210 sunny days per year.
According to Wikipedia, the most important solar regions of Romania are the Black Sea coast, Northern Dobruja and Oltenia, with an average of 1,600 kWh/m2/year.
The Guardian says Romania has decoupled economic growth from pollution faster than anywhere else in Europe. The latest data shows its net greenhouse gas emissions intensity fell by 88% between 1990 and 2023.
While Romania turned to lignite coal and heavy oil for energy self-sufficiency during the reign of Nicolae Ceaucescu, after the dictator was tried and executed, factories closed, mines shut and power plants slashed their output, the newspaper explains:
Romania’s entry into the European Union in 2007 held polluters to higher standards and forced the closure of unprofitable factories propped up by state support. Its emissions trading system put a price on carbon and its modernisation fund brought back cash to clean up the energy system. Meanwhile, workers completed a nuclear power plant in Cernavod, a town in the south-east of the country, which had been commissioned under Ceaucescu, and the government introduced a green certificate scheme to bankroll renewables.
EU solar reached a record 56 GW of new installations in 2023, accelerated by high electricity prices and the need for energy security. Poland, the Netherland and Greece were among European Union countries that saw massive increases.
Following a 1.7 GW addition in 2024, the Romanian market is reportedly booming with large-scale projects, including the largest solar farm in Europe — a 760 MW facility soon to start construction just outside Bucharest, that features a million solar panels backed by batteries. In the northwest, authorities have approved an even bigger plant with a capacity of 1 GW.
According to Seetaoe, the Dama solar project being jointly developed by Rezlov Energy and Monsson has a planned peak capacity of 1.04 GW and a 500-megawatt energy storage system. It is expected to be put into operation in the third quarter of 2028.
Financing for projects is being provided by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, such as a €34 million loan for 190 MW of new photovoltaic plants in southwestern Romania.
Key players include OMV Petrom, which is installing 7 MW solar systems at industrial sites, along with developers active in large-scale projects such as Scatec, Enery and Rezlov Energy.
According to Balkan Green Energy, Norwegian company Scatec has reached financial close for 190 MW of solar power in Romania, enabling it to start construction.
“Reaching financial close and starting construction of our first projects in Romania is an important step and confirms the attractiveness of the Romanian market and the strength of the CfD [contracts-for-difference] framework. With long-term revenue visibility and a robust financing structure in place, the projects are well positioned for construction and delivery. We look forward to advancing the projects together with our partner Defic Globe and contributing to Romania’s energy transition,” said CEO Terje Pilskog.
A CfD is a leveraged financial derivative that allows traders to speculate on the rise or fall of asset prices without owning them.
By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com
