Germany: Wind Capacity Additions Rise 63 Percent in January–September 2026 – Solar PV Additions Hold Steady
Münster – Wind energy deployment in Germany grew sharply in the first nine months of 2026. Newly installed solar PV capacity remained almost unchanged despite a clear drop in the number of systems, according to IWR analyses of the Federal Network Agency’s Market Master Data Register (Marktstammdatenregister).
Wind Energy: Offshore Lifts Additions to 5,571 MW
From January to September 2026, 808 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 5,571 MW entered operation (previous year: 637 turbines, 3,421 MW). Gross additions rose by around 63 percent.
Of this, 130 turbines with 1,760 MW were installed offshore. According to IWR’s analysis, no new offshore wind turbines entered operation in the same period last year. The sharp increase in wind additions is therefore largely due to the commissioning of new offshore capacity. In August and September alone, 552 MW were added at sea. Offshore projects are often connected to the grid in larger batches.
Onshore: Higher Capacity Despite Rising Decommissioning
Onshore, 678 wind turbines with 3,811 MW were newly installed (previous year: 637 turbines, 3,421 MW), an increase of around 11 percent. Decommissioning rose from 563 MW to 685 MW. Net capacity additions increased from 2,859 MW to 3,126 MW, while the net number of additional turbines fell from 239 to 188. The average capacity of new onshore turbines rose from 5.37 MW to 5.62 MW.
North Rhine-Westphalia leads onshore additions with 903 MW, ahead of Lower Saxony (714 MW) and Schleswig-Holstein (587 MW). Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania recorded a particularly strong rise, from 86 MW to 458 MW.
Solar PV: Fewer Systems, Nearly Stable Capacity
From January to September 2026, 655,486 solar PV systems with a combined capacity of 12,652 MW were commissioned (previous year: 741,356 systems, 12,565 MW). The number of systems fell by around 12 percent, while capacity rose by 0.7 percent based on current data. The average capacity per new system increased from around 17 kW to just over 19 kW, which points to a higher share of larger systems in total additions.
In the ranking by federal state, Bavaria remains in the lead for PV additions with 2,985 MW newly installed, but below the 3,313 MW recorded a year earlier. Brandenburg rose from 636 MW to 1,285 MW and Schleswig-Holstein from 587 MW to 840 MW. After decommissioning of 135 MW, net PV additions nationwide stand at 12,517 MW (previous year: 12,496 MW).
Outlook: Wind Drives Growth – New Framework for Wind and Solar Planned
Combined net additions of wind and solar PV reached around 17,403 MW from January to September 2026, compared with 15,355 MW a year earlier. The increase of just over 13 percent is almost entirely attributable to wind energy, where net additions rose by around 71 percent to 4,886 MW.
Draft legislation on the 2027 EEG amendment and the grid connection package, approved by the Federal Cabinet on July 29, 2026, provides for changes to remuneration and direct marketing of renewable energy as well as grid connection. The existing 20-year feed-in tariff is to be abolished for new small solar systems. A considerably shorter remuneration is envisaged on a transitional basis. The bills are currently going through the parliamentary process in the Bundestag. The Bundesrat has already issued its opinion.
Note: The data are based on an IWR analysis of the Federal Network Agency’s Market Master Data Register (data as of September 30, 2026; last updated October 8, 2026). The figures are provisional and represent a snapshot owing to late registrations, re-registrations and retroactive corrections.
Source: IWR Online, 14 Oct 2026
