Moldova had a record year for solar deployment last year, taking cumulative capacity to 710 MW. There is now just under 1 GW of renewables installed in the country.
Moldova added 315.7 MW of solar last year, according to figures shared by the country’s National Centre for Sustainable Energy (CNED). The result is a record in a calendar year for Moldova, improving on the 209 MW of solar added in 2024.
Total solar capacity now stands at 710 MW, making solar the leading form of renewable energy in Moldova, with a 72% share of the 980 MW of renewables installed by the end of last year.
Image: CNED
An CNED spokesperson told pv magazine that a defining element of 2025 was the country’s first renewables auction based on a fixed price support scheme.
The auction, first announced in August 2024, covered 60 MW of solar and 105 MW of wind. The country’s Ministry of Energy revealed the auction was oversubscribed last April, ahead of selecting 11 winners fully covering the available capacity. In September, the government said all solar projects supported under the auction were operational. The successful projects are receiving 15-year fixed-price guarantees at MDL 1.16 ($0.069)/kWh for the energy generated.
To date, 408 MW of solar have been deployed in Moldova under state support mechanisms. This includes 151 MW of solar supported by a 15-year fixed tariff support scheme for solar parks up to 1 MW in size.
Smaller-scale solar installations designed for self-consumption were initially backed by a net-metering framework first established in 2018, before Moldova moved to a net-metering mechanism at the start of 2024. Original net-metering prosumers are permitted to continue benefiting from the mechanism until the end of 2027. Both support schemes permit installations up to 200 kW in capacity.
By the end of last year, there were 8,713 solar prosumers in Moldova, made up of individuals and legal entities, according to CNED’s data, with a cumulative installed capacity of 195 MW. From that figure, 5,051 of the prosumers installed their solar under the net-metering scheme, covering 115 MW, while the remaining 80 MW is accounted for by the 3,662 prosumers who have deployed solar under the net-billing scheme.
The remaining 302 MW of solar installed to date in Moldova operates on the free market, which CNED says demonstrates economic viability and strong interest from international investors.
Moldova’s largest solar project to date, a 50 MW installation covering 95 hectares in the central district of Strășeni, was switched on in July. The park secured a fixed price for 24 MW of its generated energy under the renewables auction, with the remaining 26 MW of solar sold on the free market. The plant was built in eight months, which the Ministry of Energy said is a record time for such an installation.
In September, Moldova approved Government Decision No.599/2025, covering capacity limits and maximum quotas for renewables through to 2030. A CNED spokesperson told pv magazine the decision aims to enhance the attractiveness of state support mechanisms for renewable electricity generation, including the integration of energy storage solutions.
“Its main objective is to ensure the continuity and coherent development of the regulatory framework necessary to achieve Moldova’s commitments under the Energy Community Treaty and the targets assumed under the National Energy and Climate Plan by stimulating investments in new renewable electricity generation capacities,” they said.
Moldova has set a target of achieving 30% renewable electricity and 27% renewable energy in total final energy consumption by 2030. According to CNED’s data, renewables had an estimated 29% share in Moldova’s gross final electricity consumption last year.
In February 2025, the Moldovan government mandated that renewable energy developers now need to provide financial guarantees when applying for grid connection permits, which are refundable if projects are operational within agreed time frames. The move is said to have freed up 109 MW of grid connections by the middle of the year.
Last July, Moldova’s National Agency for Energy Regulation approved introducing guarantees of origin certificates for renewable energy sources.
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