Solar Power Generation in Germany Continues Strong Growth
Germany is experiencing a sustained increase in the use of solar energy for electricity production, according to recent data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). As of March 2025, approximately 4.2 million photovoltaic systems were installed across the country, boasting a total rated capacity of roughly 98,300 megawatts. This represents a significant 23.7 percent rise in the number of systems compared to the previous year and a 21.9 percent increase in installed capacity during the same period.
In March 2024, the installed base stood at around 3.4 million photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of about 80,700 megawatts. The figures encompass all systems connected to the public grid and equipped with electricity meters to record generated power. Smaller installations, such as balcony power plants, are generally not included in these statistics.
In 2024, photovoltaic systems fed approximately 59.5 million megawatt hours of electricity into the grid, marking a new record and accounting for 13.8 percent of the total domestic electricity production. This is a notable increase from the 12.0 percent share recorded in 2023. July 2024 proved to be a record month for solar power, with nearly 8.7 million megawatt hours generated – exceeding a quarter (27.4 percent) of the total electricity fed into the grid during that month.
Early data from the first months of 2025 indicates a potential trend in installed systems. Imports of photovoltaic systems have seen a considerable decline in the first four months of the year, falling by over 21.5 percent to approximately 402 million euros compared to the same period in the previous year. Exports of photovoltaic systems also decreased significantly, dropping by nearly one-third (32.9 percent) from around 189 million euros to approximately 127 million euros during the same timeframe.
In 2024, Germany imported photovoltaic systems valued at around 1.8 billion euros, nearly halving the value from the previous year (-49.2 percent). China remains the dominant source for these systems, accounting for 85.8 percent of imports. The Netherlands (7.5 percent) and Denmark (1.2 percent) followed as the next largest import origins.
The value of photovoltaic system imports in 2024 was more than three times higher than the value of exports. Exports in the past year amounted to roughly 510 million euros, a decline of over 56.6 percent compared to 2023. The primary destinations for German-exported photovoltaic systems were European countries, with Austria (12.8 percent), Italy (11.3 percent) and Switzerland (11.2 percent) being the largest recipients in 2024.
Production of solar modules for photovoltaic systems in Germany also decreased significantly in the first quarter of 2025, falling by over 50.7 percent compared to the same period last year to around 227,000 units. The decline in solar collector production was less pronounced, with a decrease of 10.3 percent from nearly 21,300 units in the first quarter of 2024 to approximately 19,100 units between January and March 2025.
The trend of reduced production extends back to the previous year, with approximately 1.5 million solar modules produced for sales in 2024 – more than half the output of 2023 (-56.2 percent). Solar collector production in 2024 reached nearly 88,900 units, representing a decrease of over 53.7 percent compared to the 192,000 units produced in 2024, according to Destatis.