Public sector adds just two solar installations in a year
New data reveals stagnation in public sector PV installations as commercial efforts are driving gains
Malta’s public sector remains a fringe player in national solar power rollout, adding just two photovoltaic installations in a year and accounting for a mere 2.3% of installed PV capacity.
Data released by the National Statistics Office on Tuesday revealed that photovoltaic (PV) systems generated a combined total of 351.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy in 2025, up by 7.5% over the previous year.
While the data did not provide a breakdown of solar generation by sector, statistics on PV installations and peak capacity show that almost all growth in installed PV capacity came from the domestic and commercial sectors.
The public sector's two new PV installations in 2025 meant peak capacity from public sector PV systems rose from 6,195.2 kilowatt-peak (kWp) to 6,216.8 kWp, an increase of just 21.6 kWp - less than 0.2% of all new PV capacity added across the country that year. Kilowatt-peak measures the maximum power a PV installation can generate.
The stagnation is nothing new: the public sector added just four PV installations over the past two years, increasing its installed capacity by only 41.4 kWp since 2023.
In that same time period, commercial PV capacity increased by more than 15,600 kWp and domestic capacity by more than 11,600 kWp.
Uptake of PV systems by residential consumers and businesses has continued to grow year-on-year.
Installed peak capacity from domestic PV systems rose by 4.8% in 2025, while that of commercial systems rose at an even faster rate, growing by 5.7% in a year.
Although there are fewer public sector buildings than private ones, the government owns thousands of properties across the country. Many of them are unused: a 2024 study by the National Audit Office calculated that roughly 4,000 state-owned properties are unutilised, adding that there is no detailed action plan to put those properties to use.
Labour’s electoral manifesto pledged to install PV panels on all schools and state-entity buildings by 2030 and make all new public buildings carbon-neutral. But the NSO figures suggest limited progress in getting the public sector to meaningfully contribute to renewable energy capacity.
The PN, by contrast, had proposed spending €60 million to install PV panels on government buildings and car parks. That proposal was criticised by Labour for being short on detail and specifics.
A 2025 annual report for the Climate Action Authority notes plans to install PV panels on four state schools, a day centre in Paola and three state-owned office blocks. It also cites a design proposal to install PV canopies at 10 unnamed public car parks.
No timelines were cited for any of those projects.
While public sector PV installations account for just a small fraction of Malta’s solar capacity, the same cannot be said of commercial installations.
Commercial systems account for just 6% of all installations but provide 53.1% of all national PV capacity.
These installations – which can range from installations on factory rooftops to solar farms – are much larger than residential ones, with an average peak capacity of 65.7 kWp. The average residential PV installation can generate 3.5kWp.
Nationwide, commercial PV systems accounted for just over 142,400 kWp of installed PV capacity in 2025. Domestic PV installations accounted for just under 120,000 kWp. Public sector installations accounted for just over 6,200 kWp.
Big power in the southeast
Almost one-quarter of all Malta’s solar power is generated in the country’s southeast, which hosts major solar farm projects in places like the Freeport and Mqabba.
The Northern Harbour region, which includes Sliema, St Julian’s, Gżira and surrounding towns, has the highest number of installed PV systems in absolute terms. In terms of installations per 1,000 people, though, the region ranks last nationwide.
That may be due to an abundance of apartments in the densely populated region. Apartment dwellers often face barriers to installing PV systems, including roof access, ownership and consent issues. The government has since announced a scheme allowing families without roof access to benefit from PV panels installed on Water Service Corporation reservoirs.
Gozo, by contrast, leads the way when it comes to PV installations per 1,000 people. Growth on the island appears to be slowing, though: PV generation in Gozo and Comino grew by just 4.6% in 2025, the lowest growth rate nationwide.