Germany achieves stunning increase in solar installations and output

The expansion of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Germany continues to grow as more companies and private households opt for solar energy.

By April 2024, the number of PV systems reached 3.4 million, nearly 30 percent more then the 2.7 million installed at the same time one year ago, according to the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The total nominal output from solar systems increased 20.5 percent in the same period to 81.5 gigawatt (GW).

Destatis’ figures include all PV systems that feed into the public grid and measure their feed-in but do not generally include smaller systems, such as so-called plug-in or balcony power plants (220,000 of which were installed in Germany in the first half of 2024).

In 2023, PV systems in Germany fed some 53.6 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity into the grid, accounting for a record of 11.9 percent of total electricity feed-in, up from 10.6 percent in 2022. Solar power generation saw a record month in June 2023 with 8.5 million MWh, more than a quarter (27.3 percent) of the electricity fed into the grid that month.

China remains the biggest external supplier for the German market, accounting for 86.4 percent of PV systems imported into the country in 2023. The Netherlands and Vietnam followed at a considerable distance with 5.4 and 2.6 percent respectively. 

PV system imports fell sharply in the first five months of 2024: from January to May, the value of imported solar cells and solar modules fell by 66 percent compared to the same period last year to just under 605 million euros.

Germany solarThe value of exported PV systems also fell 64.9 percent during this period from just under 616 million euros to just over 216 million euros. German production of solar modules fell significantly in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, with the number of units down 52.8 percent to just under 495,600.

Clean Energy Wire. Reproduced with permission.