Solar energy deployment in Germany slows down in August

September 25 (Renewables Now) - The expansion of solar energy in Germany slowed down in August with newly installed capacity reaching 1,056 MW, the lowest level since February, according to data published by the Federal Network Agency.

Since the beginning of 2023, Germany has connected 8.99 GW of new solar capacity to the grid with the federal state of Bavaria accounting for 2.23 GW of the total. The total solar capacity in operation across the country reached 76.48 GW at the end of August.

Of the fresh capacity added in August, only 126.1 MW were subsidy-free systems. Most of the new subsidised capacity, or 700.8 MW, came from rooftop solar installations while ground-mounted solar parks accounted for 228 MW.

With 155.8 MW of new wind turbines connected to the grid in August, onshore wind energy deployment also hit a six-month low. Permits were granted to projects totalling 359.6 MW and featuring 64 turbines. In the first eight months of the year, permits were issued to projects with a combined capacity of 4,302 MW. Thus, the level of the entire 2022 when 4,314 MW of new wind energy projects were approved, was reached within eight months in 2023.

The table below gives details about the net new capacity installed across Germany in August.

in MW	Solar energy	Onshore wind	Offshore wind
January	982	60.4	38.1
February	881.1	147	38.1
March	1,199	266.8	66.7
April	1,114	248.8	66.7
May	1,225	269.2	19.1
June	1,216	350.9	--
July	1,317	195.3	--
August	1,056	155.8	--
Total	8,992.2	1,694.2	228.7