Breakthrough in Energy: Renewables Now Account for Half of Installed Capacity in Poland

The Polish economy entered a new energy era by the end of 2025. As announced by Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska, for the first time in history, renewable energy sources constitute the majority of the country's generation potential. The exact share of RES in installed capacity was 50.04%, translating to nearly 38 GW of clean energy. This process accelerated in the last five years – as recently as 2020, this share was significantly lower, demonstrating the scale of investments in the photovoltaic and wind energy sectors. The increase in installed capacity translated into actual electricity production. Throughout 2025, renewable sources produced 55 TWh, constituting 31.41% of total generation in Poland. This marks a significant increase compared to 2020, when this indicator was only 17.83%. Prosumers play a particularly important role in this process, with their total capacity reaching 13 GW. This data indicates improved installation efficiency, partly due to favorable weather conditions and longer sunlight hours last year. Poland's energy transformation for decades relied almost exclusively on hard coal and lignite. The first systemic support for green energy emerged only after joining the European Union in 2004, which forced adaptation to environmental standards. Despite these successes, experts point out challenges related to system emissions. Although CO2 emission intensity dropped to approximately 650 g/kWh, Polish electricity remains among the most polluted in Europe. The government announces further investments, including nuclear energy development and expansion of transmission networks, which must accommodate the growing number of distributed energy sources. 2026 is set to be a period of verification for numerous projects that have so far remained only in the planning stage. „We have passed a breakthrough moment in RES development in Poland! For the first time in history, the share of renewable energy sources in our country's installed capacity has exceeded 50 percent.” — Paulina Hennig-Kloska 37,777 MW — total RES installation capacity in Poland 2020: 17.83, 2025: 31.41 RES: 50.04, Other Sources: 49.96 Liberal media emphasize the success of the transformation and the need to accelerate the departure from coal as a condition for economic modernization. | Conservative media highlight the costs of network modernization and the stability of an energy system based on capricious sources.