Renewable energy: Solar energy covers 14 percent of German electricity consumption

Solar expansion in Germany continues to make good progress. Last year alone, an installed capacity of 17 gigawatts was added, ten percent more than in the previous year, as the Federal Solar Industry Association announced. The total installed capacity was more than 100 gigawatts for the first time at the turn of the year. Around 14 percent of German electricity consumption was covered by solar energy.

Most of the power (around 38 gigawatts) comes from solar modules on home roofs. The growth drivers last year were the ground-level solar parks. At 6.3 gigawatts, they accounted for more than a third of the newly added capacity – an increase of 40 percent compared to the previous year.

Achieving the goal by 2030 is not a sure-fire success

The expansion of plug-in solar devices, the so-called balcony power plants, grew even more rapidly. Their installed capacity doubled to around 0.7 gigawatts in 2024. They therefore still only represent a small part of the total installed capacity. Solar modules on company roofs accounted for almost 30 percent of the total output. Here the increase in new installations was around a quarter compared to 2023.

“With continued market growth of approximately the same magnitude over the next two years, we are entering the home stretch,” said the general manager of the Federal Solar Industry Association, Carsten Körnig. “However, reaching the next milestones of the energy transition is not a sure-fire success.” The federal government’s goal is a total output of around 215 gigawatts by 2030, more than twice as much as before. The next federal government should therefore remove further market barriers and ensure investments.