Germany Hits Record with 16.2 GW Solar Capacity Added in 2024


Germany added a remarkable 16,179 MW of new solar capacity in 2024, marking a 7 per cent growth year-over-year, as reported by the Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur. This addition represented the highest annual solar installations ever recorded in the country.

In 2023, Germany had added 14.2 GW of solar capacity, nearly doubling from 7.45 GW in 2022.

With this new capacity, Germany's total operational solar capacity reached 99.2 GW, surpassing the target of 88 GW set by the Renewable Energy Sources Act program for the end of 2024.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Germany added 4.2 GW of solar capacity, with installations in October, November, and December totaling 1,649 MW, 1,084 MW, and 1,439 MW, respectively.

Of the total installations in Q4, 774.1 MW were unsubsidized, consisting of 702 MW of ground-mounted and 72.1 MW of rooftop solar systems.

Bavaria led the country with 3,943 MW of solar capacity added, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 2,130 MW, Baden-Wuerttemberg with 2,126 MW, Lower Saxony with 1,571 MW, and Brandenburg with 1,320 MW.

Mercom reported that Germany installed 3.4 GW of solar power capacity in Q3 2024, reflecting a 17 per cent year-over-year decrease from 4.1 GW. The monthly installations in July, August, and September were 1,519 MW, 906 MW, and 960 MW, respectively.

The Federal Network Agency also awarded contracts for 6,526 MW of ground-mounted solar projects and 779.4 MW of rooftop solar systems during the year.

Germany aims to reach 128 GW of solar capacity by 2026, 172 GW by 2028, and 215 GW by 2030, with a monthly solar installation target of 1,608 MW through 2030.

In August 2024, the Federal Network Agency invited bids for 258 MW of rooftop solar systems as part of the second phase of Germany’s target to procure 900 MW of solar systems through three rounds in 2024 under the Renewable Energy Act. Germany plans to tender 1,100 MW annually from 2025 to 2029.

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