Germany’s renewable energy capacity up 11% in 2025

BONN, 8th January, 2026 (WAM) — Germany stepped up the construction of solar panels and wind turbines last year, with installed renewable energy capacity rising by 11 percent to around 210 gigawatts, the country’s energy regulator said on Thursday.

The Federal Network Agency said the pace of expansion was close to that of previous years, after capacity grew by about 12 percent in both 2023 and 2024.

Solar power accounted for more than half of Germany’s total installed renewable energy capacity last year, reaching 117 gigawatts. Newly added solar capacity totalled 16.4 gigawatts, with the southern state of Bavaria leading the expansion at 4.5 gigawatts.

So-called balcony power plants, small photovoltaic systems installed by households, also gained importance. Registered mini solar units accounted for 3.2 percent of newly added solar capacity in 2025, up from 2.5 percent a year earlier, the regulator said.

While the increase in solar capacity was slightly below the previous year’s level, onshore wind power expanded significantly. New installations of land-based wind turbines totalled 4.6 gigawatts, well above the 2.6 gigawatts added the year before.

Germany’s onshore wind capacity has now reached 68.1 gigawatts, the Federal Network Agency said.

Under government targets, this figure is set to rise to 115 gigawatts by 2030, a goal that would require roughly doubling last year’s expansion pace.