Photovoltaic Capacity in December 2023 Reaches 882 MW – Total for the Year at 14.3 GW

By the end of 2023, Germany had installed a total of 81.8 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic (PV) systems. According to the Federal Network Agency, a net capacity of 14.3 GW was newly operational.

The Federal Network Agency, also known as BNetzA, slightly revised the total PV capacity for 2023 to 14.26 gigawatts (GW), up from the initially reported 14.1 GW. This adjustment is likely due to ongoing reporting updates. It is worth noting that this is the highest amount of new PV installations ever recorded in Germany in a single year. However, these figures still fall short of the country's target to reach a total capacity of 215 GW by 2030. To meet this goal, a monthly installation rate of nearly 1.6 GW would have been necessary.

The latest data for PV expansion in December 2023 reveals a net capacity of 879.8 megawatts (MW) were installed. This was the lowest monthly value of the year. The data is based on the Market Data Registry of BNetzA, with the possibility of further updates over time.

Overall, the total PV capacity in Germany reached 81.8 GW by the end of 2023, doubling since 2016. The strongest expansion in 2023 occurred in Bavaria with 3.64 GW, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 2.13 GW, Baden-Württemberg with 1.89 GW, and Lower Saxony with 1.4 GW.

Regarding onshore wind energy, BNetzA's statistics show an increase of 363 MW in December 2023, with a net addition of 3.0 GW throughout the year. This pushed the total onshore wind capacity to 61 GW. In terms of regional dominance, Schleswig-Holstein led the way in 2023 with 1.1 GW, followed by Lower Saxony (483 MW), North Rhine-Westphalia (413 MW), and Brandenburg (397 MW). December also stood out as a peak month for wind energy approvals, with 1.24 GW. Additionally, 257 MW of offshore wind capacity was added during the year.

For biomass, there was a net capacity increase of 16.6 MW in December. The total gross capacity of biomass power plants in Germany grew by nearly 100 MW to reach 9.0 GW in 2023.