The German Bundesnetzagentur has released preliminary figures on growth in renewable electricity generation capacity in 2025. Total installed renewable capacity increased by nearly 21 GW to just under 210 GW, representing a year-on-year increase of 11 per cent. The increase was mainly driven by solar and wind energy.
Onshore wind capacity grew by 4.6 GW in 2025, well above the 2.6 GW added in the previous year. Most new wind turbines were commissioned in North Rhine-Westphalia, accounting for 1.3 GW. Just under 0.6 GW of onshore wind capacity was permanently retired and registered with the Bundesnetzagentur, with many of these sites expected to be repowered using higher-capacity turbines. Total installed onshore wind capacity reached 68.1 GW by the end of 2025. Germany’s target for 2030 is 115 GW, requiring average annual additions of about 9.4 GW.
Planning permission was granted for just under 20.8 GW of onshore wind capacity in 2025, exceeding the already high level recorded in the previous year. The Bundesnetzagentur expects this to translate into higher commissioning volumes in the coming years.
In offshore wind, the most powerful turbines to date were commissioned in November and December 2025 at the EnBW He Dreiht offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Each turbine has a rated capacity of 15 MW, with further identical units scheduled to enter operation at the site. A total of 0.3 GW of offshore wind capacity was commissioned in 2025, lower than in the previous year. Installed offshore wind capacity in the North Sea and Baltic Sea now totals 9.5 GW.
