Katerina Jirku Nemec is leading regional strategy, market development and commercial execution in the CEE solar market. ©Trinar Solar
Trinasolar’s head of Eastern Europe shares why she expects the region to be among the world’s fastest-growing solar markets over the next ten years.
Munich, 31. January 2026
What are your company’s current activities in Central and Eastern Europe?
Trinasolar has significantly expanded its presence across Central and Eastern Europe over the past two years. Today, we are active in 17 out of 21 countries in the region, with particularly strong momentum in the Baltics, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
What are your best-selling products in the region?
On the solar side, Trinasolar supplies high-efficiency n-type modules for utility-scale, C&I, and residential customers, and advanced tracking and fixed-tilt systems for the utility-scale segment.
Are you seeing increasing interest in storage systems in CEE?
Trina Storage is rapidly scaling in Eastern Europe, where we are already delivering for multi-MWh BESS projects in Lithuania, Estonia, and Romania, with additional projects advancing across Poland and other parts of the region. With increasing needs related to grid stability, flexibility, curtailment mitigation, and reactive power compensation, we see growing demand for hybrid solar-plus-storage solutions — an area where our integrated approach creates strong added value.
What makes the CEE region a focus area for your expansion?
Central and Eastern Europe is unquestionably a strategic growth region for us. Eastern Europe differs from Western Europe in several ways — particularly in development stage, regulatory frameworks, and energy-security needs — which makes our localized expertise especially valuable.
How does your company stand out in the CEE market?
A key differentiator is our localized, customer-centric approach. Each country is treated as a unique market: the team first seeks to understand its specific regulatory environment, grid requirements, and customer needs, then tailors the right technology and support accordingly.
What do customers in the region expect from Trinarsolar?
Over the past years, we’ve seen that customers in Eastern Europe increasingly rely not only on our products, but on our cross-regional experience, allowing us to act as a trusted advisor throughout project planning, procurement, grid integration, and long-term system performance.
What are your goals for 2026?
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, we will continue to follow market fundamentals and prioritize the largest and fastest-growing countries, while staying agile and present in emerging opportunities.
How is Central and Eastern Europe special?
In a global context CEE stands out because it combines strong ambition for new PV utility systems and BESS capacity, significant grid expansion needs, growing reliance on private financing as well as developing and rapidly maturing regulatory frameworks.
Do certain CEE countries offer particularly favorable conditions for development?
One of the unique strengths of the Central and Eastern European region is its diversity in market maturity. With 21 countries at different stages of development, the region offers a balanced and continuous flow of opportunities. Even when certain markets are slow due to regulatory changes or external pressures, others accelerate—allowing us to maintain a steady pipeline and stable supply across the entire region.
Can you give some examples?
From a market standpoint, several countries stand out today. Romania has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets thanks to its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) backed auctions, strong investor appetite, and a robust pipeline across both PV and storage. The Baltic states — particularly Lithuania and Estonia — are also frontrunners, especially for BESS. The market is supported by clear regulatory frameworks and a strong focus on energy security. We recently announced a major BESS project in Lithuania with Stiemo and more are underway.
Poland is considered an exciting and matured PV and BESS market. What do you think?
Poland continues to evolve rapidly, with increasing interest in utility-scale PV, hybrid systems, and PPA-based models. Bulgaria also consistently delivers close to 1 GW per year purely on market economics, despite having almost no PV subsidies. Other countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, and several Balkan markets are regarded as strategically important for Trinasolar.
How would you describe your overall footprint in CEE?
The diversity of regional markets and their specific challenges underpins our presence across the region and our focus on supporting customers in the Eastern European markets, covering modules, tracker systems and energy storage solutions.
Can projects in CEE thrive without EU funding?
Absolutely. While EU funding has historically played an enabling role — especially for early BESS and grid-support projects — the landscape is rapidly changing. In many CEE countries, we already see robust development without subsidies.
Do you have any examples?
Across Central and Eastern Europe, market dynamics vary widely. In the Baltic States, many large-scale projects have been financed entirely with private capital, and momentum increased further after the Baltics disconnected from the Russian grid in February 2025. In Poland, utility-scale PV has long been driven by PPA-based and merchant models. Bulgaria, despite offering almost no PV subsidies, consistently delivers around 1 GW of new capacity each year, driven purely by solid project economics. Non-EU markets such as Albania are expanding rapidly, fueled by strong local demand and favorable economic conditions. Even in Ukraine, solar and battery storage projects continue to move forward under wartime conditions, supported by international donors, private investors, and duty exemptions.
How do you explain the shift from subsidies to private financing?
Across Europe, policymakers have moved away from subsidizing individual technologies and projects. Instead, states are focusing on creating a conducive environment for electricity systems. They are achieving this by reforming balancing energy markets, establishing capacity markets for battery storage systems, strengthening grid interconnections, and placing greater emphasis on energy security and reliability. As a result, more photovoltaic and storage projects are now being developed by private companies that prefer financing through financial institutions rather than EU subsidies. This approach offers greater flexibility and helps to avoid the complexities of public tendering procedures.
How do you see the PV and BESS market in CEE evolving over the next decade compared to other regions?
Over the next ten years, Central and Eastern Europe will move from being a “catch-up” region to becoming a frontrunner in innovative solar and energy storage models. Several forces are driving this transformation, including REPowerEU targets and broader EU climate goals, heightened energy‑security needs following the war in Ukraine, rapid electrification and industrial decarbonization and ongoing grid modernization with new capacity mechanisms supporting battery storage. Together, these trends are steering the market from primarily residential installations toward commercial, industrial, and utility‑scale projects, with hybrid PV + storage solutions playing an increasingly central role. BESS is emerging as essential infrastructure for grid stability, flexibility, and curtailment mitigation.
How will policy shape this future in CEE?
We’re witnessing a clear policy evolution across Europe. The region is moving away from direct, technology‑specific subsidies and toward building an enabling market environment—through reformed balancing markets, stronger interconnections, and capacity markets designed to enhance flexibility. As a result, more PV and BESS projects in Central and Eastern Europe are now financed by private developers, PPA structures, and financial institutions, giving the region greater resilience and momentum. Looking ahead, we expect CEE to become one of the world’s most dynamic solar and storage markets between 2025 and 2035, driven by robust demand, strategic policy frameworks, and the growing need for flexible, reliable, and secure energy systems.
Interview by Manfred Gorgus
About Katerina Jirku Nemec
Katerina Jirku is Head of Eastern Europe at Trinasolar, where she is responsible for driving regional business strategy, market development and commercial execution across the growing Eastern European solar landscape. In this role she oversees end-to-end processes from market analysis and opportunity origination through to contract negotiation, project execution and post-contract performance. With more than a decade of experience in the solar industry, Katerina has a strong background in market entry strategy, regulatory analysis, and developing long-term commercial strategy for complex and fast-growing markets.