Bavaria maintains lead in Germany's solar power expansion, still trails behind on wind power

The southern German state of Bavaria continues to lead the field in renewable energy expansion, news agency dpa reports in an article published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung based on 2023 data from the federal grid agency (BNetzA). The figures show that, last year, new installations reached a total capacity of around 3,683 megawatts (MW), equalling one fifth of all newly installed renewable power capacity in Germany. Bavaria was followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (2,586 MW), Baden-Württemberg (1,946 MW) and Lower Saxony (1,911 MW). Almost 99 percent of the added capacity in Bavaria stemmed from solar installations, the agency added. Wind power, on the other hand, hardly played a role in the state, as it added only 23 MW in new turbines. Northern Schleswig-Holstein led the way in onshore wind, with 1,109 MW new net capacity, followed by Lower Saxony (483 MW) and North Rhine-Westphalia (413 MW). 

Bavaria, the largest German state by area, has about 26,853 MW of installed renewable power capacity. Benefitting from sunny weather and boasting almost 940,000 solar installations, solar power contributed 83 percent of installed capacity in the state in 2023, while wind power accounted for just under 10 percent and biomass for around 7 percent. Bavaria has been repeatedly criticised for its restrictive policies on wind power expansion and a lack of ambition in the transition to renewables. The German government's goal is to have 80 percent of electricity produced by renewables by 2030. In 2023, renewables covered more than half of Germany’s electricity demand for first time.