Jan 9, 2026
Germany's renewable electricity generation capacity increases by 11%, fueled by solar energy.
The capacity for renewable electricity generation in Germany increased by eleven percent, nearly 21 gigawatts (GW), last year, reaching just under 210 GW. The head of Germany’s grid agency, BNetzA, noted that “solar power again led in new capacity,” while indicating that “onshore wind made significant progress last year.”
By the end of the year, solar capacity reached 117 GW, compared to 68.1 GW from onshore wind. In 2025, solar installations added 16.4 GW, with approximately half of these being rooftop systems and the other half ground-mounted.
BNetzA stated that to meet the solar power expansion goal of 215 GW by 2030, an average of 19.6 GW of solar capacity must be added annually in the coming years.
The total capacity for onshore wind energy increased to 4.6 GW, significantly surpassing the previous year's 2.6 GW. Germany's overall offshore wind capacity in the Baltic and North Seas now totals 9.5 GW, following the addition of 0.3 GW in 2025.
To reach the 2030 target of 115 GW for onshore wind energy, Germany needs to add an average of 9.4 GW each year. The latest onshore wind auction raised expectations for sustained growth, as it was more than twice oversubscribed, with bids totaling a record 8.1 GW against an auctioned volume of around 3.5 GW.
BNetzA head Klaus Müller stated, “The bid volume of over 8 GW is the highest ever recorded in a tender. Fortunately, all tenders in 2025 were oversubscribed.” The average auction price dropped to 6.06 cents per kilowatt-hour from 6.57 cents in the previous round.
Kerstin Andreae, head of the energy industry association BDEW, remarked that the results indicate strong competition in the tenders, resulting in lower subsidy costs. She highlighted that the approved and awarded projects suggest that the necessary installation pace to meet the 2030 target “is fundamentally achievable as long as the investment framework remains stable.”
By the end of the year, solar capacity reached 117 GW, compared to 68.1 GW from onshore wind. In 2025, solar installations added 16.4 GW, with approximately half of these being rooftop systems and the other half ground-mounted.
BNetzA stated that to meet the solar power expansion goal of 215 GW by 2030, an average of 19.6 GW of solar capacity must be added annually in the coming years.
The total capacity for onshore wind energy increased to 4.6 GW, significantly surpassing the previous year's 2.6 GW. Germany's overall offshore wind capacity in the Baltic and North Seas now totals 9.5 GW, following the addition of 0.3 GW in 2025.
To reach the 2030 target of 115 GW for onshore wind energy, Germany needs to add an average of 9.4 GW each year. The latest onshore wind auction raised expectations for sustained growth, as it was more than twice oversubscribed, with bids totaling a record 8.1 GW against an auctioned volume of around 3.5 GW.
BNetzA head Klaus Müller stated, “The bid volume of over 8 GW is the highest ever recorded in a tender. Fortunately, all tenders in 2025 were oversubscribed.” The average auction price dropped to 6.06 cents per kilowatt-hour from 6.57 cents in the previous round.
Kerstin Andreae, head of the energy industry association BDEW, remarked that the results indicate strong competition in the tenders, resulting in lower subsidy costs. She highlighted that the approved and awarded projects suggest that the necessary installation pace to meet the 2030 target “is fundamentally achievable as long as the investment framework remains stable.”