In 2023, Germany witnessed a significant increase in solar capacity, with approximately 14GW added throughout the year. The residential segment accounted for nearly half of these new installations.
According to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW), solar additions in Germany grew by approximately 85% compared to the previous year. In 2022, German developers added around 7.5GW of solar capacity, and this figure rose to 14GW in 2023. The residential segment contributed 7GW to the newly installed solar power capacity, marking a 135% year-on-year increase.
Ground-level solar parks represented 31% (around 4.3GW) of the newly installed solar power capacity, showing a 40% year-on-year increase. BSW expects continued growth in this market segment as barriers to accessing suitable sites and the electricity grid are being dismantled, facilitating market demand.
Developers also added approximately 2.5GW of commercial rooftop solar capacity, a 75% increase compared to the previous year.
Carsten Kornig, the managing director of BSW, emphasized the need for measures to expedite grid upgrades and the necessity of expanding storage capacities to support the growing share of solar capacity.
BSW reported that over 1.5 million private property owners have plans to install solar systems on their rooftops.
In 2023, Germany witnessed over one million new solar installations, bringing the total number of installed solar PV systems to 3.7 million. These systems have a combined electricity production capacity of 62 billion kWh, covering 12% of Germany’s electricity consumption.
Throughout the year, Germany added solar PV capacity across various regions and industries. For instance, an auction for solar installations on buildings and noise barriers awarded contracts to 88 bids with a cumulative capacity of 191MW in November 2023.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) also initiated a request for expressions of interest to strengthen the country’s solar PV manufacturing supply chain. The goal was to establish a solar PV manufacturing capacity of 10GW per year across the value chain, from silicon to modules, with a minimum annual module capacity of 2GW.
