Latvia deploys 258 MW of PV in 2025
Latvia deploys 258 MW of PV in 2025
From:PV Magazine
With Latvia’s cumulative solar capacity reaching 920 MW by end of 2025, the Latvian Renewable Energy Alliance says the 1 GW threshold may now have been surpassed. The country also appears on track for a record year in solar deployment this year, as some of the largest projects in the pipeline materialize.
Patrick Jowett
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Latvia added 258 MW of solar in 2025, according to figures published by Latvian distribution system operator Sadales tīkls (ST).
The figure follows a record year for solar in Latvia in 2024, when 356 MW was added. ST’s data says cumulative capacity reached 920 MW by the end of last year, consisting of 710 MW from solar power plants and 210 MW from microgenerators.
Gatis Macāns, Executive Director of the Latvian Renewable Energy Alliance, told pv magazine Latvia may have already reached the 1 GW threshold. “There are a few projects that were connected to the transmission system operator network and still are in the commissioning process,” he said. “We are quite sure that total capacity finally has reached 1 GW.”
Latvia’s solar market began to grow rapidly in 2022, initially driven by microgeneration-sized projects in response to higher electricity prices. There were approximately 24,800 solar microgenerators in Latvia by the end of last year, 95% of which belong to private individuals.
Growth in this market segment has been slowing after a transition from net-metering to net-billing in mid-2024. There were around 15 MW of new solar microgenerators installed in Latvia in 2025, compared to 37 MW in 2024, 67 MW in 2023 and 79 MW in 2022.
Macāns predicted that growth in household solar will now remain stable around 10 MW to 15 MW annually. “The main drivers will be support schemes for households to install new PV systems and small battery energy storage systems,” he said.
TS data notes the number of micro-solar installations in conjunction with battery energy storage systems increased from 1,500 to 2,400 in 2025. The Latvian government continues to offer grants for residential solar installations in a scheme open through to 2029, which added support for batteries in late 2024.
There were 484 solar power plants connected to Latvia’s distribution system in 2025, with a combined capacity of 243 MW. This is only outperformed by 2024, when 319 MW was added. Among the largest projects to come online last year was a 94 MW solar site belonging to Lithuania’s Ignitis Renewables.
Macāns said there are several projects above 100 MW under development in Latvia. He forecast Latvia could see around 500 MW of new solar in 2026, driven by the completion of some larger-scale projects. If his forecast materializes, Latvia could surpass its end-of-decade target for solar several years in advance, which Macāns said stands at around 1.3 GW.
Looking ahead, Macāns said Latvia would benefit from developing its power purchase agreement (PPA) market, which he said is currently struggling. “Currently, you can have a PPA, but only through an electricity supplier,” he explained. “But now we are seeing the first talks starting and probably there will be legislation developments over time.”
He also recommended the market could be supported by government-driven procurements, such as contracts for difference (CfD), and said that heat companies utilizing solar energy as electricity for heating could be a future driver. “There is more and more interest from heating companies and we see that one company is already building PV assets,” he added. “This is also a market where we could find some PPAs.”
Macāns added that while Latvia’s agrivoltaic market is yet to take-off, it may become economically attractive in the future. “I believe after the war ends, Latvians will have huge surprises in the same grain prices from Ukraine, who can export cheaper than we produce,” he explained. “Then they will need some additional benefits and sharing land with a developer will give some fixed incomes. Latvia would need around 6,000 hectares to build 3 GW of solar if one and a half to two hectares builds 1 MW, which is only 0.3% from the land.”
Earlier this month, Lithuania’s Green Genius switched on a 120.8 MW solar project in Latvia, billed as the largest single-site solar array in the Baltics to date. Also in February, Latvia’s Ministry of Climate and Energy approved a €26.8 million ($31.5 million) grant program which will support residents of apartment buildings, local governments, and state agencies to install solar, battery storage and heat pumps.