Germany: More than a million new photovoltaic systems in 2023

Data from the Federal Network Agency shows that photovoltaic systems with a peak output of around 14 GW alone were put into operation on roofs and open spaces in 2023. That is 85 percent more photovoltaic output than in the previous year (around 7.5 GW). The industry association expects demand to remain high in 2024. He justifies this with continued rising electricity prices and attractive funding conditions.

According to a survey commissioned by BSW, more than 1.5 million private property owners plan to install a solar system on their roof in 2024. This emerges from the results of a YouGov representative survey in which a good 1,000 property owners took part in mid-December. Of the owners of residential properties with suitable properties, 69 can imagine building a solar system on them. 16 percent would plan to do so in the next twelve months.

The approximately 3.7 million photovoltaic systems now installed in Germany produced 62 TWh of solar power last year, covering around 12 percent of German electricity consumption.

Also based on data from the Federal Network Agency, the BSW evaluated that around 7 GW, half of the newly installed solar power capacity in 2023 came from residential buildings. According to BSW, this segment grew particularly strongly in 2022 compared to the previous year, with an increase of 135 percent.

According to BSW, 31 percent of the newly installed solar power capacity (around 4.3 GW) in 2023 will be accounted for by open-space solar parks, around 40 percent more than in 2022. BSW also expects demand for these to continue to grow in 2024. This applies in particular in the event that it becomes easier to get suitable areas and access to the power grid, as envisaged by the Federal Cabinet in the draft law on Solar Package I.

According to BSW, around 2.5 GW of PV systems were newly installed on industrial and commercial roofs in 2023, which corresponds to 18 percent of the new systems. That is an increase of 75 percent compared to the previous year. According to the industry association's expectations, this segment would also benefit from Solar Package I.