Record Year 2025 for Renewable Energy in Germany: Boom in Wind and Solar Tenders

Münster (Germany) - The year 2025 in Germany marks a new record year for onshore wind and solar tenders by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). The successful tenders from last year are expected to help keep the expansion of onshore wind and solar energy on track.

The results of the BNetzA tenders in the areas of onshore wind, as well as ground-mounted and rooftop solar systems, show: never before has so much capacity been tendered and awarded as in 2025. The German Wind Energy Association and the German Solar Association view this development positively but caution that political framework conditions such as grid access, funding mechanisms, and planning security still need to be strengthened.

Records in Onshore Wind: More Tenders in 2025 Than Ever Before

In the four tender rounds for onshore wind in 2025, a total of 14,430 MW was tendered (2024: around 12,080 MW). Submitted projects had a total volume of around 23,760 MW, meaning the tenders were oversubscribed by more than 9,300 MW. In 2025, the BNetzA awarded onshore wind projects with a total capacity of 14,445 MW, significantly more than the previous year (2024: 10,996 MW).

For comparison, the 2021 tender volume was 4,235 MW, with awarded capacity of 3,295 MW, highlighting the strong dynamics in tendering in recent years. Overall, the record year 2025 also shows progress in approvals, grid connections, and project development.

While the tender results indicate the market development for the coming years, the national wind energy market in 2025 also reflects increasing market dynamics. From January to December 2025, according to data from the Market Master Data Register (MaStR) of the BNetzA evaluated by the IWR (as of 12.02.2026), wind turbines with a total gross capacity of 5,798 MW were commissioned in Germany (2024: 4,057 MW). After deducting decommissioned older plants, this results in a net increase of around 5,130 MW (2024: 3,307 MW). These figures include both onshore and offshore installations.

Looking only at onshore wind, the picture is particularly dynamic: from January to December 2025, the net increase was 4,609 MW, representing an 80% increase compared to 2024 (2024: 2,565 MW).

Ground-Mounted and Rooftop Systems: High Demand in Both Segments

In the photovoltaic sector, a new tender record was also set in both segments in 2025. In the first segment (including ground-mounted systems), the tender volume reached 7,220 MW and the awarded capacity 7,250 MW, significantly higher than in 2024 (tender volume: 6,527 MW / awarded capacity: 6,536 MW). For comparison, in 2012, the tender volume was only 1,637 MW and awarded capacity 1,645 MW.

In the second segment (solar systems on roofs and noise barriers), the tender volume reached 880 MW and the awarded capacity 853 MW, setting new highs (2024: tender 779 MW, awarded 782 MW).

The photovoltaic market in Germany continues on a growth path regarding tenders (large-scale systems) in 2025. However, total PV capacity additions across all performance classes slightly slowed, reaching around 16,940 MW of new PV capacity (2024: 18,520 MW).

Source: IWR Online, 23 Feb 2026