The amount of the electric energy obtained from a photovoltaic (PV) installation depends on the energy of the radiation. Weather conditions differ strongly between various years even in the same season. Depending on the climatic conditions of a given location, fixed PV solar plants as well as one-axis and dual-axis tracking PV solar plants are being installed worldwide. The aim of this work is to analyse the sunlight intensity and PV system performance under the geographic conditions of central Europe. The analysis was made on the basis of multi-month monitoring in Gdańsk, Poland, and by comparison with systems in other locations on the basis of the results of researchat Opole University, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poznan University of Technology, and AGH University of Science and Technology.The annual irradiation and the electrical PV energy production have been averaged over a time period of several years. Two aspects are explored within this paper: the expected average annual electricity generation of a standard 1-kWp standalone or grid-connected PV system and the theoretical potential of PV electricity generation in the European countries.