Renewable energy potential in the Czech Republic: Obstacles to achieve it

Viktória Pokorná wrote a policy paper on the topic "Renewable energy potential in the Czech Republic: Obstacles to achieve it", which will serve as a background material for the fifth debate from our project Prague Climate Talks. The event will take place on June 5th, 2018 in Brno.

• The sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. Yet, the number of countries using renewable energy to cover substantial parts of their energy needs continues to rise every year.
• In the Czech Republic, however, the growth has been stagnating. What is holding Czech RES back? What is the country's potential for solar, wind, hydro and other renewable sources? Where should we seek inspiration for development?

The installed capacity of photovoltaic power plants (2100 MW) is currently growing the fastest of all the electricity sources. With the decreasing price of solar panels and the growth of electricity storage options, the expectations of their share in the energy mix are high.

Current capacity of wind energy in the Czech Republic is 278 MW. However, its potential for 2030 is much higher. An analysis of the Chamber of RES shows that, in the future, wind power plants in the Czech Republic could cover one third of the electricity consumption. 

Current installed capacity of biogas is 332 MW, while its potential is 485 MW in 2030. However, due to citizens’ complaints, some biogas stations had to stop functioning because of the odour. Some civic associations have since fought against the construction of other biogas stations.

As we have seen, there are various obstacles to utilization of the full potential of renewable energy sources in the Czech Republic: geographic conditions, public reluctance towards RES, high competition on the electricity market, etc. However, the biggest challenge is the Czech legislative environment. 

Download the full paper through the PDF button on the right side of this article.