Country Guides
Solar and battery economics vary wildly across Europe. Our calculator model runs the same reference scenario for every country — 5 kWp system, 8,500 kWh annual demand, no battery — so you can compare honestly.
Ranked by Payback (Best to Worst)
| Rank | Country | Payback | NPV (25 yr) | Solar Verdict | Battery Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria | 7 yr | €3686 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 7 yr | €5060 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 3 | Moldova | 7 yr | €3188 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 4 | Portugal | 7 yr | €4715 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 5 | Denmark | 8 yr | €3910 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 6 | Germany | 8 yr | €4602 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 7 | Greece | 8 yr | €3484 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 8 | Italy | 8 yr | €3920 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 9 | Netherlands | 8 yr | €3790 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 10 | Austria | 9 yr | €3352 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 11 | Belgium | 9 yr | €2986 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 12 | Ireland | 9 yr | €4015 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 13 | Spain | 9 yr | €2693 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 14 | Latvia | 10 yr | €2056 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 15 | Lithuania | 10 yr | €1478 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 16 | Romania | 10 yr | €1365 | Excellent investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 17 | Switzerland | 10 yr | €2598 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 10 yr | €2123 | Excellent investment | Worth considering |
| 19 | Luxembourg | 11 yr | €1076 | Good investment | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| 20 | Croatia | 13 yr | €281 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 21 | Estonia | 13 yr | €327 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 22 | France | 14 yr | €-391 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 23 | Serbia | 14 yr | €40 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 24 | Türkiye | 14 yr | €-182 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 25 | Slovakia | 15 yr | €-345 | Marginal — depends on subsidies and assumptions | Only with subsidies |
| 26 | Albania | 16 yr | €-589 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 27 | Montenegro | 16 yr | €-1126 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 28 | Poland | 18 yr | €-1259 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 29 | Ukraine | 19 yr | €-1157 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 30 | Norway | 22 yr | €-2267 | Very poor — only for energy independence | Don't buy |
| 31 | Hungary | 24 yr | €-2131 | Very poor — only for energy independence | Don't buy |
| 32 | Belarus | >25 yr | €-4492 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 33 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | >25 yr | €-3765 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 34 | Finland | >25 yr | €-5371 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 35 | Iceland | >25 yr | €-10617 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 36 | North Macedonia | >25 yr | €-3414 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 37 | Russia | >25 yr | €-3686 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 38 | Slovenia | >25 yr | €-3282 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| 39 | Sweden | >25 yr | €-4994 | Poor — only with subsidies or price rises | Don't buy |
| — | EU Average | 10 yr | €2022 | Excellent investment | — |
NPV: Net Present Value at 6% discount rate over 25 years. Positive = solar beats keeping the money in the bank. Negative = you'd be better off investing elsewhere.
Reference model: 5 kWp system, 8,500 kWh annual electricity demand, no battery, 6% discount rate.
Quick Verdicts by Category
Solar: Excellent
Bulgaria , Czech Republic , Moldova , Portugal , Denmark , Germany , Greece , Italy , Netherlands , Austria , Belgium , Ireland , Spain , Latvia , Lithuania , Romania , Switzerland , United Kingdom
Solar: Good
Solar: Marginal
Croatia , Estonia , France , Serbia , Türkiye , Slovakia
Solar: Poor / Very Poor
Albania , Montenegro , Poland , Ukraine , Norway , Hungary , Belarus , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Finland , Iceland , North Macedonia , Russia , Slovenia , Sweden
What Makes a Country Good for Solar?
Three factors dominate:
- High electricity prices — Germany (€0.35), Ireland (€0.37), Denmark (€0.36) compensate for lower solar yields.
- High solar yields — Portugal (1,540 kWh/kWp), Greece (1,500), Bulgaria (1,300) make panels productive even with moderate prices.
- Generous feed-in tariffs or net metering — Bulgaria's 20-year FIT (€0.108/kWh), Netherlands' saldering until 2027, Greece's net metering.
The worst countries combine low electricity prices + moderate yields + no subsidies: Finland (€0.08/kWh), Sweden (€0.10), Slovenia (€0.08).
Battery Viability
Batteries make financial sense primarily where time-of-use (TOU) tariffs create a large peak/off-peak spread:
| Country | Peak | Off-Peak | Spread | Battery Viability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | €0.26 | €0.14 | €0.12 | Worth considering |
| Germany | €0.38 | €0.24 | €0.14 | Worth considering |
| Greece | €0.26 | €0.16 | €0.1 | Worth considering |
| Italy | €0.32 | €0.2 | €0.12 | Worth considering |
| Belgium | €0.36 | €0.24 | €0.12 | Worth considering |
| Ireland | €0.42 | €0.28 | €0.14 | Worth considering |
| Spain | €0.28 | €0.14 | €0.14 | Worth considering |
| Switzerland | €0.32 | €0.22 | €0.1 | Worth considering |
| United Kingdom | €0.35 | €0.2 | €0.15 | Worth considering |
| Croatia | €0.16 | €0.1 | €0.06 | Only with subsidies |
| France | €0.28 | €0.18 | €0.1 | Only with subsidies |
| Serbia | €0.13 | €0.09 | €0.04 | Only with subsidies |
| Türkiye | €0.09 | €0.04 | €0.05 | Only with subsidies |
| Montenegro | €0.11 | €0.07 | €0.04 | Don't buy |
| Ukraine | €0.1 | €0.05 | €0.05 | Don't buy |
| Norway | €0.15 | €0.08 | €0.07 | Don't buy |
| Belarus | €0.05 | €0.03 | €0.02 | Don't buy |
| Finland | €0.1 | €0.06 | €0.04 | Don't buy |
| North Macedonia | €0.12 | €0.03 | €0.09 | Don't buy |
| Slovenia | €0.1 | €0.07 | €0.03 | Don't buy |
Countries without time-of-use (TOU) tariffs have minimal battery value because the retail-to-feed-in spread is small:
| Country | Retail | Feed-in | Spread | Battery Viability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | €0.12 | €0.108 | €0.012 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Czech Republic | €0.3 | €0.04 | €0.26 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Moldova | €0.2 | €0.059 | €0.141 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Denmark | €0.36 | €0.03 | €0.33 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Netherlands | €0.3 | €0.09 | €0.21 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Austria | €0.28 | €0.077 | €0.203 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Latvia | €0.3 | €0 | €0.295 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Lithuania | €0.28 | €0 | €0.276 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Romania | €0.14 | €0.05 | €0.09 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Luxembourg | €0.22 | €0.133 | €0.087 | Marginal — calculate carefully |
| Estonia | €0.24 | €0 | €0.241 | Only with subsidies |
| Slovakia | €0.16 | €0.04 | €0.12 | Only with subsidies |
| Albania | €0.09 | €0.04 | €0.045 | Don't buy |
| Poland | €0.12 | €0.07 | €0.045 | Don't buy |
| Hungary | €0.1 | €0.014 | €0.086 | Don't buy |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | €0.1 | €0 | €0.096 | Don't buy |
| Iceland | €0.15 | €0 | €0.154 | Don't buy |
| Russia | €0.06 | €0.012 | €0.046 | Don't buy |
| Sweden | €0.1 | €0.03 | €0.07 | Don't buy |
Want a Personalized Calculation?
These are reference-model averages. Your actual payback depends on:
- Your roof direction and shading
- Your daily consumption pattern
- Whether you have an EV or heat pump
- Available subsidies in your region
→ Run the Calculator for your specific situation.
Missing Your Country?
We cover 39 countries plus EU Average. Want to add one? Use our country template.