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, and developing as well as rapidly maturing regulatory frameworks.
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Do certain CEE countries offer particularly favourable 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.
Tomasz Bodetko of PST Group: “We need more energy storage facilities for balancing the grid”
Poland is considered an exciting and mature PV and BESS market. What are your opinions on this?
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.
Interview by Manfred Gorgus
Trinasolar’s Jirku Nemec: CEE is a strategic growth region
Katerina Jirku Nemec is Head of Eastern Europe at Trinasolar, where she leads regional business strategy, market development and commercial execution across the expanding Eastern European solar sector. In this role, she oversees end-to-end processes from market analysis and opportunity origination to contract negotiation, project delivery and post-contract performance. With over a decade of experience in the solar industry, Katerina has a solid background in market entry strategy, regulatory analysis and the development of long-term commercial strategies for complex, fast-growing markets.
