Germany overtakes Spain to become leading solar PV market in Europe - analysis

An analysis of solar power markets in Europe has declared Germany the leading solar PV market in the region. According to the analysis conducted by Aurora Energy Research and reported in Tagesspiegel Background, strong political support and a large market have helped the country top the list ahead of Spain. In 2022, Germany was ranked second behind Spain. The main reason for the change is the German government’s ambitious target of installing 215 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030, and the enormous tender volumes associated with this. The country is also the largest market in Europe and has good grid access. However, it scored low for land availability, and it also lacks financial incentives to expand solar power in a way that is as gentle on the grid as possible. Other European countries with strong political backing for solar are France and Poland. Spain and Italy are the largest markets behind Germany, and Denmark, Sweden and Finland top the list for land availability.

A new solar power strategy proposed in March by the economy and climate action ministry (BMWK) is intented to deliver a breakthrough in the technology’s expansion on the path to the country’s 2030 renewable power targets and re-establish large-scale solar power module production capacities in Germany. Industry representativies have called for a government-sponsored "renaissance of Europe's solar industry" to ensure secure access to resources and hardware components that are essential for the roll-out.