Bulgaria installs 1.4 GW of solar in 2025

Bulgaria reached a critical milestone in its renewable energy transition in 2025, building 1,416 MW (1.4 GW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity — its third consecutive year above 1 GW - bringing the country's total cumulative solar capacity close to 6 GW by the end of the year. This quick rise highlights the country's growing significance in Eastern Europe's clean energy transformation, as well as strong market momentum for utility-scale and hybrid solar projects.

According to official data supplied on the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, Bulgaria installed 1,416 MW of solar capacity in 2025, bringing the total to 5,984 MW. Ground-mounted, large-scale solar parks drove this increase, accounting for about 90% of new additions last year.

Desislava Mateva, Project Manager at the Sofia-based Association for Production, Storage, and Trading of Electricity (APSTE), stated that the Bulgarian market's strength stems from solar power's commercial competitiveness, strong developer activity, expanded access to project finance, and a robust pipeline of ready-to-build projects. She also highlighted the growing importance of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and hybrid solar-storage advances in boosting grid flexibility and reducing price volatility.

Solaris Holding AD, a joint venture between Bulgarian-German corporation SUNOTEC and Eurohold Bulgaria partners, is one example of the country's solar success. In mid-2025, the business opened the Selanovtsi hybrid solar and storage facility near Oryahovo in the Vratsa area.

The Selanovtsi project, which has 59.8 MW of solar PV power and a connected 107.3 MWh battery system, demonstrates how developers are integrating generating and storage to increase renewable penetration and grid stability. The project, backed by United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and Germany's Varengold Bank AG, is estimated to generate roughly 80 000 MWh of renewable electricity each year, enough to power over 22,000 houses and drastically reduce carbon emissions.