Germany Adds 3.7 GW of Solar in Q1; Cumulative Capacity Reaches 86.2 GW

Germany installed 3.7 GW of solar power capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, a 19% year-over-year (YoY) growth from 3.2 GW.

The data was published in a recent report by the German Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur.

The installations for January were 1.47 GW, February (1.14GW), and March (1.1GW). Germany targets to install 215 GW of solar capacity by 2030, with 22 GW of capacity additions every year. To reach the 215 GW target, the monthly installation needs to be 1,587 MW, as noted by Bundesnetzagentur at the end of Q1 2024.

Mercom reported that Germany installed 3.5 GW of solar power in Q4 2023, but the Federal Network Agency later revised this figure to 3.9 GW.

At the end of March 2024, the country's cumulative solar capacity stood at 86.2 GW. According to the German government's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) program, the cumulative solar installation target by the end of 2024 is 88 GW, 128 GW by 2026, 172 GW by 2028, and 215 GW by 2030.

The states of Bayern, Sachsen, Baden-Württemberg, and Nordrhein-Westfalen led the solar installations, accounting for almost 65% of the solar capacity installed during the quarter.

Bayern installed the highest capacity at 760.2 MW. Sachsen followed with 599.3 MW, Baden-Württemberg with 546.6, and Nordrhein-Westfalen with 474.8 MW.

In August, the German government approved a $63.3 billion green investment plan to aid renewable energy expansion and reduce carbon emissions.

In January, Bundesnetzagentur reduced the price ceiling for rooftop solar auctions in 2024 to €0.105(~$0.12)/kWh from €0.1125(~$0.12)/kWh in 2023. The price cap for ground-mounted solar at€0.737(~$0.80)/kWh remains the same as in 2023.

In July 2023, Germany's auction to install 191 MW of rooftop solar projects was oversubscribed by 79%, receiving a total of 155 bids with a volume of 342 MW. In all, 79 bids with a cumulative capacity of 193 MW were accepted.