Renewable Record of 8 GW Solar and Wind Installations in H1 of 2023 in Germany

Germany saw an impressive growth in renewable capacity addition in the first half of this year. A record 8 GW in new solar and wind installations have been commissioned in Germany during the first half of this year. This data comes from an initial analysis of the Market Master Data Register (MaStR), which is maintained by the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) and analyzed by the Internationales Wirtschaftsforum Regenerative Energien (IWR) in Münster. The analysis was based on data as of 5th July 2023.

The solar energy sector, in particular, experienced a significant boom during the first six months of 2023. Within that period alone, approximately 465,000 new solar plants, with a capacity of 6,500 MW, went online and began producing electricity. This is a substantial increase compared to the figures for the same period in 2022 when 165,000 plants with a capacity of 3,800 MW were installed. The first half of 2023 marks the highest number of solar installations in six months in Germany’s history.

Among the German federal states, Bavaria emerged as the leader in solar energy additions, with around 1,600 MW of new photovoltaic (PV) capacity. It was followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (1,000 MW), Baden-Württemberg (900 MW), Lower Saxony (630 MW), and Brandenburg (430 MW).

While the German wind energy market continued its steady recovery, its growth was not as dynamic as that of the solar market. In the first half of 2023, approximately 350 new wind turbines, with a total capacity of around 1,750 MW, were installed. This includes 1,520 MW of onshore wind energy (compared to 990 MW in January-June 2022) and 230 MW of offshore wind energy (compared to 0 MW in January-June 2022).

At the halfway mark, Schleswig-Holstein claimed the top position in the federal state ranking for wind energy additions, with around 580 MW of new capacity. It was followed by Lower Saxony (230 MW), North Rhine-Westphalia (200 MW), and Brandenburg (150 MW). However, in Saxony, Thuringia, Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, no new wind turbines were installed in the first half of 2023.

According to the IWR, the additional renewable power plant capacity for Germany in the entire year of 2023 could surpass 15,000 MW. This increase in capacity is expected to generate approximately 20 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually from the new additions in 2023.