Germany continued expanding renewables last year, adding 20 GW of new capacity

Germany continued to make progress in developing the use of renewable energy sources last year, increasing their installed capacity by 20 GW. New capacity additions were driven primarily by solar PV, which accounted for more than 80% of the total increase. Newly commissioned wind capacity was not particularly strong. This could change in the coming years, however, as the number of permits issued for wind projects rose sharply.

Renewable energy had a relatively strong year in Germany last year, although some segments grew faster than others. Overall, installed renewable capacity increased by 20 GW, according to the country's network regulator, Bundesnetzagentur. By the end of last year, Germany had 190 GW of installed renewable capacity, up 12% year on year. Growth was once again driven primarily by solar PV.

"The rapid expansion is having an effect. Renewable energy sources are now the main source of electricity generation in Germany – renewables accounted for 254.9 TWh of the country's total electricity generation, or almost 60%. At the same time, we used less coal to generate electricity than in previous decades. Over the past two years, we have consistently simplified and accelerated permitting procedures. The pace of expansion and permitting is now finally benefiting noticeably from this," German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said, according to the regulator.

As mentioned above, solar power plants once again accounted for the largest share of renewable capacity growth in Germany. According to the German regulator, their installed capacity increased by 16.2 GW last year, reaching a total of 99.3 GW. In this case, the regulator's figures differ slightly from those of the country's solar industry association, BSW. It puts the increase in Germany's installed solar PV capacity at 17 GW, taking it above the 100 GW mark by the end of the year. Germany's largest solar park, with an installed capacity of 162 MW, was also commissioned last year. As usual, new installations were led by Bavaria, where 4 GW of capacity was added.

Wind power development lags, but the coming years look promising

Compared with the solar power segment, progress in wind power development in Germany is considerably slower. Installed onshore wind capacity increased by only 2.5 GW last year. The smaller increase was also due to older wind farms being decommissioned; their installed capacity amounted to 0.7 GW, according to the regulator. By the end of last year, installed onshore wind capacity in Germany had risen to 63.5 GW.

The targets for the end of the decade are highly ambitious compared with the year-end figure, with capacity expected to nearly double from 115 GW. The rising number of permits for new wind farms offers some hope, however. The regulator said that significantly more permits were issued last year: 15 GW worth, a 90% increase on 2023. A significantly larger number of wind farms could therefore begin operating in the coming years.

Offshore wind power also saw relatively weak growth last year, with 73 new turbines commissioned, according to the regulator. Overall, installed capacity at offshore wind farms in German waters in the Baltic and North Seas increased by 0.7 GW to 9.2 GW.