Solar power covers 18% of Germany’s electricity consumption

Solar power in Germany generated significantly more electricity last year, with its share of domestic power production rising to around 18%, up from 14% in 2024, the German Solar Industry Association (BSW) said on Monday.

That meant photovoltaic power overtook lignite, which accounted for about 14%, and natural gas, at roughly 16%, as sources of electricity generation, the association said.

The figures are based on data from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Wind power remained Germany’s largest source of electricity, with a share of 27%.

According to preliminary annual figures, more than 5.5 million installed photovoltaic systems generated around 87 terawatt hours of electricity last year. That was about 15 terawatt hours more than in 2024 and marked another record high.

Despite the strong increase in electricity generation from solar modules, the pace of expansion has stalled, the BSW said.

In 2025, additional photovoltaic capacity of around 17.5 gigawatts was installed – roughly the same as in the previous year. That level of growth is insufficient to meet Germany’s legally binding expansion targets for 2030, the association said.