Germany added an estimated 1.69 GW of solar capacity in August 2026, taking its total installed solar capacity to 129.26 GW, according to data from the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). Onshore wind added 417.3 MW during the month, bringing its total to 70.81 GW, while offshore wind increased by 71.6 MW to almost 11 GW. Solar additions were broadly in line with the monthly expansion path needed to meet Germany’s 2030 target, while onshore and offshore wind remained below their respective monthly requirements.

Solar remains close to the pace required for 2030

Solar additions reached an estimated 1,687.7 MW in August, slightly above the 1,649 MW monthly expansion rate identified by BNetzA as necessary to reach 215 GW of installed capacity by 2030. The August figure is an estimate that accounts for the one-month registration delay in the Market Master Data Register.

From January to August, Germany added 11.25 GW of solar capacity, taking total installed capacity to 129.26 GW. Building-mounted systems accounted for the largest share of new capacity during the period, with 4.69 GW commissioned, followed by ground-mounted installations with 6.27 GW.

Bavaria recorded the largest increase in solar capacity between January and August, with 2.82 GW of net additions, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 2.03 GW and Baden-Württemberg with 1.53 GW.

Onshore wind expansion remains below the monthly path

Germany added 417.3 MW of onshore wind capacity in August, taking total installed capacity to 70.81 GW. The monthly figure remains below the 850 MW pace that BNetzA identifies as necessary to reach 115 GW by 2030.

Between January and August, onshore wind capacity increased by 2.71 GW on a net basis. At the same time, 1,804 onshore wind projects representing 11.74 GW had received permits but were not yet operational by the end of August.

Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia accounted for the largest volumes of permitted but not yet operational onshore wind capacity, with 2.53 GW and 2.30 GW respectively.

Offshore wind adds 71.6 MW

Offshore wind capacity increased by 71.6 MW in August, bringing Germany’s total to 11 GW. The monthly addition remains well below the 365 MW expansion rate required to reach the country’s 30 GW target for 2030.

From January to August, offshore wind capacity increased by 1.27 GW.

Biomass capacity remains broadly stable

Biomass recorded 3.9 MW of net additions in August, taking total installed capacity to 9.25 GW. Between January and August, net additions reached 34 MW.

The figures are based on the gross capacity of generation units registered in Germany’s Market Master Data Register. BNetzA notes that registrations can be submitted up to one month after commissioning, meaning the latest monthly figures may be adjusted as additional registrations are recorded.