Germany has reached a key milestone in solar power expansion: nationwide installed photovoltaic capacity passed 128 gigawatts (GW) in August. That meets the 2026 expansion target set out in the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). But according to the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), the next milestones are at risk, as planned changes to the political framework could cause growth to stall.
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According to a recent BSW-Solar analysis based on the Bundesnetzagentur's Market Master Data Register, more than six million solar power systems are now installed across the country. Solar already accounted for around a fifth of Germany's net electricity generation in 2025.
Carsten Körnig, CEO of BSW-Solar: "The 128-gigawatt milestone is a success. But anyone concluding that solar expansion will now continue on its own is mistaken. Around 87 more gigawatts of solar capacity still need to be added by 2030. That means the annual pace of expansion has to rise, not fall."
The road to 2030
Roughly 17.5 GW of new photovoltaic capacity was installed in both 2024 and 2025, but reaching the statutory 2030 target of 215 GW will require an average of around 20 GW of additional solar capacity every year from here. The EEG already sets a target of 172 GW of installed capacity for 2028, rising to 400 GW by 2040.
Against this backdrop, BSW-Solar is calling on Germany‘s Bundestag to amend the 2027 EEG reform and the grid connection package approved by the federal cabinet during the parliamentary process. In the association's view, planned changes to support for small PV systems, a stricter requirement for direct marketing, and the partial removal of compensation payments for grid-related curtailment would discourage investment and put the statutory targets at risk.
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"There's no way around a strong expansion of photovoltaics and battery storage, from an energy and climate policy standpoint. Investment needs reliable conditions," said Körnig. "Weakening the conditions for new solar installations now risks a growth slump at exactly the moment we need more speed. Instead of new investment hurdles, we need faster expansion of solar and storage."
Battery storage to absorb solar power during high-generation hours and release it later, supporting market and grid integration of growing volumes of solar electricity, also needs to scale considerably faster. (TF)
