Renewables Supply 56% of Germany’s Electricity Consumption in 2025

Renewable energy sources covered nearly 56% of Germany’s gross electricity consumption in 2025, underlining the country’s continued progress in its energy transition despite challenging weather conditions for certain technologies. The share represents a 0.7 percentage point increase year-on-year, according to preliminary data released by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and the Solar and Hydrogen Research Centre Baden-Württemberg (ZSW).

Germany’s total gross electricity generation reached 498.9 billion kWh in 2025, marking a modest 0.8% increase compared to the previous year. Of this total, 288.7 billion kWh were generated from renewable sources, reflecting a 0.9% annual increase and reinforcing renewables as the backbone of the German power system.

Solar Expansion Offsets Weather-Driven Declines

While wind and hydropower output declined due to unfavourable weather patterns, solar PV emerged as the strongest growth driver in 2025. Solar generation rose sharply to 91 billion kWh, up from 76.6 billion kWh in 2024. This increase was supported by the installation of more than 17 GW of new photovoltaic capacity, broadly in line with the record build-out levels seen the previous year.

Wind power remained the single largest renewable electricity source, despite a weaker year. Onshore wind generation fell to 107 billion kWh, down from 112.9 billion kWh in 2024, following historically low wind conditions in the first quarter. However, the underlying momentum in capacity expansion continued to strengthen, with 5.2 GW of new onshore wind capacity added in 2025, compared to 3.3 GW in 2024.

Offshore wind output edged down slightly by 0.5%, reaching 26 billion kWh, with new capacity additions constrained by the auction schedule rather than project delays.

Hydropower and Biomass See Modest Declines

Hydropower generation recorded a more pronounced drop, falling to 16.2 billion kWh from 21.4 billion kWh a year earlier. The decline was primarily attributed to below-average rainfall between February and June. Biomass generation also decreased marginally, producing 48.3 billion kWh, compared with 48.9 billion kWh in 2024.

Electricity production from conventional sources increased slightly to 210.2 billion kWh, up from 208.8 billion kWh, reflecting the balancing role of dispatchable generation during periods of low renewable output.

Outlook: Renewables Set to Grow Further in 2026

Looking ahead, BDEW and ZSW expect renewable electricity generation in Germany to increase significantly in 2026, assuming more typical weather conditions. The forecast is underpinned by the strong pipeline of onshore wind and solar PV capacity already installed or under development.

For the broader European energy market, Germany’s 2025 results highlight a clear trend: structural growth in solar and wind capacity is increasingly compensating for short-term variability, reinforcing the role of renewables as the foundation of long-term energy security, decarbonisation, and electrification strategies.