The total amount of energy produced from photovoltaics in 2019 in Poland was about 924 GWh, while the forecast for 2020 is about 2190 GWh. The amount of energy produced in Poland by source is shown in Fig. 1, while the percentage distribution of energy sources in energy production is shown in Fig. 2. The energy produced by photovoltaics represents \( 1.9\% \) of total energy produced in 2020 in Poland [1].

The PV sector in Poland employs 5-6 thousand people, with about 1000 people employed in companies producing panels and installation components. The rate of growth of new capacities of photovoltaic installations is approx. \( 150\% \) per year ( Fig. 3 ). In 2020, Poland was ranked fifth in Europe in terms of growth of new photovoltaic power capacity [2]. \( 71\% \) of installed photovoltaic sources are microinstallations.

The average price of electricity in Poland is 0.62 PLN/kWh and is constantly increasing, which, combined with decreasing installation costs, makes photovoltaics the most promising field of RES.
In recent years, conditions have emerged to stimulate investments in the production of electricity and heat. The rules for grid connection have been tidied up - paper-based documentation has been abandoned, which has shortened the installation procedure. The obligation for owners of renewable energy sources with a power of up to 50 kWp to obtain a license was also removed [1].
In recent years, government programmes to support photovoltaic installations have emerged in Poland. Since 2014, there have been subsidies under the Prosument programme. The programme offered preferential credit up to \( 100\% \) installation costs and subsidies at the amount of \( 20\% \) or \( 40\% \) subsidies ( \( 15\% \) or \( 30\% \) after 2016). The programme was established as a continuation of the earlier programme "Wspieranie rozproszonych, odnawialnych źródeł energii" (Support for distributed, renewable energy sources). From the historical programmes, it is worth mentioning the programme "BOCIAN-rozproszone, odnawialne źródła energii" (Distributed Renewable Energy Sources) implemented by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management since 2015. As of 30.08.2019, it has started a subsidiary programme called "Mój Prąd" (My Current), where the owner of each new photovoltaic installation can expect to receive funding in the form of a subsidy to \( 50\% \) the eligible costs of the micro-installation included in the project (no more than PLN 5 000 per project). The budget for non-refundable forms of co-financing amounted to PLN 1 billion. Under the programme, by 21 May 2020, installations with a total capacity of 200.77 MW were connected, granting almost 26 thousand subsidies [3], [4].

From 2019, PLN 53 000 can be deducted from income tax in respect to all thermal modernisation projects carried out in individual single-family buildings of which the taxpayer is the owner or co-owner. The installation of photovoltaics within the meaning of the Act is treated as a thermomodernization project [5].

The development of the photovoltaic industry is very strongly influenced by changes in legal regulations. The development of photovoltaics is related to the obligation imposed on countries belonging to the European Union to provide \( 20\% \) the share of energy from renewable sources in total energy consumption by 2020. This obligation came into force with the signing of the Directive in 2009. According to the Directive, the target share of RES in gross final energy consumption by the end of 2020 for Poland is to be at least \( 15\% \) [6].
A report on the photovoltaic market in Poland 2019 [7] indicates the dynamic growth of micro-installations in the last two years. A comparison of installed photovoltaic capacity from 2014 to June 2019 by type of photovoltaic installation is shown in Fig. 4 – based on [1].

The increase in power from micro-installations has been observed since 2015, when the Renewable Energy Sources Act came into law [8]. The increase in electricity production from micro-installations was also a consequence of the Regional Operational Programmes 2014-2020. The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources at the end of 2018 was about 500 MW; in May 2019 it exceeded 700 MW, and just six months later about 1.5 GW; while in May 2020, it exceeded 1.95 GW.
The increase in sales of energy from renewable sources was also due to the introduction of the auction system. In the auction system, generators declare the amount of energy supplied over 15 years and the price at which they will sell the energy. The winners of the auctions are the energy producers that offered the lowest price. Energy auctions were introduced under the Renewable Energy Act 2015 [6], which did not come into force immediately, but after its amendment in 2016 [7]. In 2018, the installed capacity from installations that won RES auctions was about 50 MW, while in 2019 it will be about 170 MW, which is almost a 3.5-fold increase in capacity. The auctions are controlled by the Energy Regulatory Office, and their course is described in the Auction Regulations [8].