(de-news.net) – In 2025, solar power generation in Germany reached a new historic high, supplying roughly 18 percent of the country’s total electricity production. This increase marked a notable shift in the national energy mix, as photovoltaics overtook lignite, which accounted for approximately 14 percent, and natural gas, which contributed around 16 percent. As a result, solar power emerged as one of Germany’s two most important sources of electricity, surpassed only by wind energy, which maintained a leading share of about 27 percent. According to a preliminary annual assessment by the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), drawing on data from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, more than 5.5 million installed photovoltaic systems generated an estimated 87 terawatt-hours of electricity. This figure represents a substantial year-on-year increase from 72 TWh in 2024 and underscores the growing contribution of existing installations to overall power generation.
Despite these strong production results, the association cautioned against a weakening of momentum in the deployment of new solar capacity. It emphasized that any further deterioration in regulatory or policy conditions should be avoided in order to safeguard both Germany’s climate objectives and a solar industry that employs more than 100,000 people nationwide. Although electricity output from installed systems continued to rise markedly in 2025, the pace of capacity expansion reportedly slowed. Newly commissioned photovoltaic systems totaled approximately 17.5 gigawatts peak (GWp), a level that effectively matched the previous year’s additions of about 17.7 GWp and thus indicated stagnation rather than continued acceleration.
This trend contrasts with the scale of expansion required to meet statutory targets. To achieve the legally mandated photovoltaic capacity of 215 GWp by 2030, annual additions of roughly 20 GWp would be necessary. With total installed capacity currently at around 118 GWp, slightly more than half of the required build-out has been completed. Against this backdrop, the association’s managing director called on the federal government to remove remaining market barriers and to refrain from further reductions in financial support for solar installations. This appeal followed earlier decisions by the Federal Minister of Economics to tighten funding conditions at the beginning of 2025, accompanied by indications of additional cuts to support for new rooftop systems.
Developments within the photovoltaic market varied considerably across individual segments. Ground-mounted solar parks experienced particularly strong growth, with newly installed capacity increasing by around 25 percent. By contrast, the residential rooftop segment recorded a decline of roughly 25 percent, while installations on commercial buildings fell by about five percent. At the same time, small plug-in photovoltaic devices, commonly referred to as balcony systems, continued to gain traction, expanding by approximately 25 percent.
In absolute terms, solar parks accounted for about eight GWp of the roughly 17.5 GWp added in 2025, compared with around 6.5 GWp in 2024. The residential segment contributed only about 5.2 GWp, down sharply from 6.8 GWp the year before, while industrial and commercial rooftops added approximately 3.7 GWp, slightly below the previous year’s level. Plug-in systems, though still representing a minor share of total capacity, increased their contribution to about 0.5 GWp, up from 0.4 GWp in 2024, reinforcing their role as a small but steadily growing component of the market.
