The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) has published the results of the 1 February 2025 auctions for onshore wind energy and solar projects on buildings and noise barriers. Both auctions were oversubscribed, reflecting strong interest in the development of renewable energy in Germany.

Strong competition in the wind energy auction

For the onshore wind farm auction, a capacity of 4,094 megawatts (MW) was offered. However, demand exceeded expectations, with 506 bids totalling 4,896 MW. Ultimately, 422 projects were awarded contracts for the total available capacity.

The average awarded price stood at 7.00 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (ct/kWh), showing a slight decrease from 7.15 ct/kWh in the previous auction in November 2024. Prices ranged between 5.62 and 7.13 ct/kWh.

The awards were mainly concentrated in:

• North Rhine-Westphalia: 1,266 MW (145 projects).

• Lower Saxony: 475 MW (49 projects).

• Brandenburg: 443 MW (43 projects).

• Saxony-Anhalt: 334 MW (34 projects).

High participation in the solar auction

The auction for solar installations on buildings and noise barriers also saw strong competition. With 315 MW of available capacity, developers submitted 169 bids totalling 369 MW, representing a 20% oversubscription. Ultimately, 143 projects were awarded contracts, reaching a total of 317 MW.

The awarded prices ranged from 7.90 to 9.69 ct/kWh, with an average of 9.10 ct/kWh, similar to the 9.04 ct/kWh in the previous round.

The states with the most awarded projects were:

• North Rhine-Westphalia: 78 MW (29 projects).

• Lower Saxony: 49 MW (20 projects).

• Saxony-Anhalt: 35 MW (16 projects).

• Bavaria: 33 MW (18 projects).

Most awards were granted to projects of up to 2 MW, while the largest accepted bid reached 12 MW.

The president of the Bundesnetzagentur, Klaus Müller, highlighted that the trend of oversubscribed auctions continues, which helps maintain low prices and supports the expansion of renewable energy in Germany.

In addition, BWE President Bärbel Heidebroek highlights that the strong trend of 2024 continues: “The coalition's reforms have effectively accelerated the expansion of renewable energy.” The first auction of 2025 was also oversubscribed, securing the energy policy expansion path and providing a boost to the industry. She adds that contracts are typically implemented within 24 months, leading to more employment and higher value creation in the onshore wind energy supply chain.

However, she criticises the long wait between the deadline and the publication of results, stating that “it is unacceptable for it to take two months to announce the results, such long delays unnecessarily slow down project realisation.”

Additionally, six bids were excluded from the wind auction and 17 from the solar auction due to non-compliance with requirements.

With these results, Germany strengthens its commitment to the energy transition and the sustainable growth of the wind and solar sectors.