BKV has installed a 50 kW solar panel system at Baross tram depot, taking another step towards energy-efficient and sustainable operation and development. This is now their tenth site at which the company has installed solar panels. Green energy could reduce the site's electricity bill by several million forints per year.

A total of 112 solar panels, each with a nominal output of 615 Wp, were installed on the roofs of two buildings at Baross tram depot, the vehicle wash hall and the changing facility building, giving the system a nominal output of 68.8 kWp. According to calculations, the system will generate 67,076 kWh of electricity per year, which will be used to light the halls and operate electrical equipment at the site. As a result, Baross tram depot's annual electricity costs will be reduced by 5.2 million forints. The expected return on investment is only 2.3 years.

The development was finaced from a loan from the European Development Bank under an agreement between Budapest and BKV.

Continuous development for sustainable, green, and environmentally friendly operations

BKV has been active for a long time to expand its sustainable and green investments. An important part of this work is the continuous increase in the number of solar panel systems installed by the company since 2018.

The company installed the first solar panel system on the roof of its headquarters on Akácfa utca in summer 2018, followed by a 200.8 kWp solar panel system at Kelenföld Division in October 2020, which covers almost 9 percent of the site's energy needs. As the next step, in 2023, a 43.2 kWp system was installed at Hungária tram depot and a 100.3 kWp system at the Cinkota bus garage, followed by a 59.3 kWp system at the Zugló tram depot in 2024. In April 2025, the company installed a 50.8 kWp system on the shadow-free roof structure of the Cogwheel tram depot, and in December, a smaller solar panel system with a nominal capacity of 14.7 kWp was installed on the roof of the superstructure pontoon located at port 10 on Jászai Mari tér. The development continues: following the successful completion of the licensing process, a small power plant with a total rated capacity of 114.8 kWp will soon be supporting the power supply of the Zách utca trolleybus depot as a result of two investments.

Energy awareness: a greener future, more economical operation

In line with its commitment to energy-conscious operation, BKV Zrt. joined the Virtual Power Plant Program (VEP in Hungarian) in 2014, which aims to encourage participating companies to contribute to the "construction" of a virtual power plant by achieving the greatest possible energy savings. BKV has received recognition on several occasions in the Energy Efficiency Excellence Competition announced by the VEP: it won the title of "Energy-Conscious Company" (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and the "Energy-Efficient Company" award (2016, 2025). Energy-conscious operation contributes to reducing the company's ecological footprint and operating costs, thus offering significant environmental benefits in addition to increased efficiency.

BKV's solar panel systems save the company tens of millions of forints annually, and their environmental impact is also significant, as they reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorption of several thousand trees.

11 February 2026
BKV Zrt.