A rainy and cloudy summer did not stop the expansion of solar power plants in Lithuania. As the number of solar installations increased, so did the amount of energy generated – both across individual parks in different regions and in total.
Rainfall was abundant – but so was the growth in prosumer numbers
On the one hand, meteorologists note that this year’s summer was cloudy and offered fewer hours of sunshine. In June, July, and August, the total sunshine duration reached 688 hours – one-sixth less than the long-term average. It was also extremely rainy; for example, in July precipitation reached 168% of the usual monthly norm.
On the other hand, neither rain nor cooler weather slowed the momentum of green energy projects in Lithuania – from households to businesses.
July, despite being the wettest month, also brought a record number of new prosumers. According to ESO, nearly 9,700 prosumers joined in a single month. Around 6,000 consumers invested in renewable energy parks, with businesses being particularly active. In total, the number of prosumers in Lithuania reached 150,000 in July – each of them contributing to the country’s energy independence.
Not all produced less – Kėdainiai experienced a breakthrough
Naturally, smartly managed solar parks are playing an increasingly important role in national electricity production. According to Inion Software, a technology company that helps businesses manage solar plants, wind parks, and smart storage, generation processes remained active across the country this summer – from the seaside to the capital. The company compared how the same solar plants performed this summer versus last year.
“For example, in Gargždai this June and July, output was only about 12% lower than in the same months of 2024. A similar decline was seen in Vilnius and Utena, while Kaunas and Elektrėnai also produced less electricity.
However, Kėdainiai in central Lithuania saw a breakthrough – the local solar plant generated 12% more energy compared to the same summer months last year,” says Inion Software CTO Dr. Robertas Janickas.
More and more green electricity
So, even though this summer’s weather was less sunny and cooler than average, renewable electricity generation remained impressively high.
For example, in June alone, solar and wind farms covered 77% of electricity consumption in Lithuania, according to the Lithuanian Energy Agency. In July the figure dropped to 70%, but in August it rose again to 74% – roughly three-quarters of demand covered by green energy.
According to R. Janickas, solar generation reached 0.73 TWh over the three summer months, exceeding last year’s total for the same period. Even in rainy July, generation reached 0.25 TWh, compared to 0.21 TWh the year before.
To put this into perspective: 0.25 TWh is enough electricity to cover the monthly needs of around 0.8–1 million Lithuanian households.
“It is worth noting that this ‘energetic’ summer contributed to the fact that in just eight months, Lithuania generated more electricity than in the whole of 2023. This shows that consumption and the market are recovering, and no clouds or rain – which once again troubled Palanga’s businesses this year – can overshadow the progress of green energy,” says Inion Software CTO Dr. Robertas Janickas.