Germany’s Renewable Energy Capacity Increased By 12% YoY

In 2023 Germany, Wind Energy Lags Behind, Solar Is Takes The Lead

The Bundesnetzagentur, a German energy regulatory office in its preliminary figures on growth in renewable capacity in 2023, found an increase in Renewable Energy (RE) installed capacity by 17 gigawatts (GW). This represents a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 12%. The increase is mainly accounted for by solar and wind.

According to this data shared by Bundesnetzagentur on the preliminary figures of the growth in RE capacity in 2023, solar and wind energy have almost doubled from previous year.

“We have taken a large step forward, especially with regard to growth in solar capacity. Solar growth almost doubled compared with the previous year. These investments are helping to drive the energy transition forward. Last year was the first time Germany generated more than half of its electricity from renewables,” said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur. “With regard to onshore wind, we are not yet where we want to be. The large increase in approvals in 2023 gives me cause for optimism, though, and will enable stronger growth in capacity.”

Solar

Growth in solar capacity in 2023 amounted to 14.1 GW, nearly double that in 2022. This was due to numerous private solar installations and a larger increase in ground-mounted and commercial rooftop solar capacity. Bavaria had the newest solar capacity in 2023, with 3.5 GW. At the end of 2023, installed solar capacity in Germany totaled 81.7 GW. This means that 19 GW of new capacity will be needed each year from now on to reach the target of 215 GW in 2030.

Most privately operated solar installations on buildings also have a battery storage system. In 2023, this was the case for about 70% of private installations. The Bundesnetzagentur had about 260,000 plug-in balcony solar modules in its core energy market data register in 2023, three times as many as in 2022. The boom in balcony modules accounted for 1.5% (0.2 GW) of the total growth in solar capacity in Germany. The Bundesnetzagentur assumes that the number of such modules is actually higher as presumably not all modules have been registered.

Onshore wind

Growth in onshore wind capacity in 2023 was 2.9 GW higher than in the previous year. This figure comprises new capacity put into operation less capacity taken out of operation. Installed onshore wind capacity totalled 60.9 GW at the end of 2023. The target for 2030 is 115 GW of installed capacity. Germany will need 7.7 GW of new capacity each year to meet this target. States in Germany such as, Schleswig-Holstein had the newest capacity in 2023, with 1.1 GW. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the large states in the south of the country, together had about 0.08 GW of new wind capacity (Bavaria: 0.023 GW; Baden-Württemberg: 0.054 GW).

In 2023, 80% more approvals were issued for onshore wind farms than in the previous year. These approvals were for a total capacity of about 8 GW, which is expected to be implemented in the coming years.

Offshore wind

In 2023, one offshore wind farm with 27 wind turbines went into operation. The Arcadis Ost I wind farm is sited in the Baltic Sea and has a capacity of 0.3 GW. Growth in offshore wind capacity in 2023 was therefore similar to the previous year. Installed offshore wind capacity in the Baltic and North Seas now totals 8.5 GW.

Biomass

Growth in biomass in 2023 was low at 0.12 GW but double that in 2022. The growth was mainly accounted for by three new combined heat and power (CHP) plants, which produce useful heat as well as electricity. Installed biomass capacity now amounts to about 9 GW.