Solar Power Expansion Grows Robustly, Capping Off at 1.4 GW in December 2024

In the last month of 2024, we saw the addition of a staggering 1.438 Gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic systems. The Federal Grid Agency's exhaustive industry database portrayed a yearly total of 16.252 GW, resulting in a cumulative 99.2 GW of solar power capacity in Germany - data as of January 13, 2025.

Despite these impressive numbers, the actual solar capacity might even be higher due to delayed reporting of some installations. The November 2024 numbers had unexpectedly grown from 1.013 MW to 1.084 MW due to late submissions.

In order to reach Germany's ambitious goal of 215 GW by 2030, an average monthly addition of 1.608 MW is require as per the review by the Federal Grid Agency.

A drill-down into December's numbers reveals a majority of the capacity - a solid 610 MW - was added within the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), including 560 MW from architectural installations and 49 MW from open spaces. Bids garnered another 541 MW in open spaces and 37 MW from architectural installations. The installations of unsubsidized photovoltaic power plants amounted to 227 MW (open spaces) and 29 MW (architectural). These are, again, preliminary numbers and may not total the overall number of new installations.

Onshore Wind Power Expansion in 2024 Surpasses Expectations at 3.3 GW

The net expansion of onshore wind power in December 2024 was a strong 370 MW, the second-highest figure for the year, tipping the total new capacity to about 3.257 Megawatts (MW). This brought the overall capacity of onshore wind power to 63.5 GW, to reach the 2030 goal of 115 GW, a monthly expansion of 715 MW is needed. New offshore wind power plants were not added in December.

Bioenergy additions were just under 5 MW, bringing the total 2024 addition to 111 MW.

A comparison of German states shows Bayern leading the pack for solar power installations in that year with 3.9 GW, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg tied for second at 2.1 GW each. For wind power, North Rhine-Westphalia came out top with 748 MW, ahead of Lower Saxony with 679 MW and Schleswig-Holstein with 574 MW.

December 2024 was marked by a surge in large-scale installations (over 1 MWp), accounting for two-thirds of the recorded capacity (907.4 MWp). Other types of installations trailed with approximately 536 MWp, a significant downturn especially in the area of home installations with a 50% drop compared to the previous year (December 2023). Even the previous uptick in DIY installations seemed to have cooled down, despite a vast potential for high-quality plugin photovoltaic plants sold via personalized consultations by experienced professionals.

An economic slowdown in Germany appears to be putting a damper on demand for solar power, despite relatively high energy costs and slowly declining interest rates. While newly registered installations of large roof and wall installations almost matched last year's level, they are still significantly below expectations.