Germany installed 2.6 GW of solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, a growth of 30% year-over-year from 2 GW installed in the same period last year, according to data released by the Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, installations increased 62.5% from 1.6 GW.

The flagging renewable energy capacity in the second half 2022 prompted the German government to raise the tariff cap. The country’s efforts towards renewables were further spurred the fossil fuel crisis in the aftermath of Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

The dwindling interest from renewable developers in Germany’s projects adversely impacted all solar and wind auctions last year. In January, the German Parliament allowed the Bundesnetzagentur to raise the tariff cap.

The country’s solar auction was recently oversubscribed with 347 bids totaling 2.87 GW submitted for a tendered quantity of 1.95 GW of ground-mounted and non-building solar systems.

Last December, a 202 MW tender round was undersubscribed corresponded for solar systems on buildings and noise protection walls.

The country’s cumulative solar capacity stands at 69.1 GW.

The state of Bayern led the solar installations in the country with 617 MW installed during the year, followed by Nordrhein-Westfalen with 443 MW and Baden-Württemberg with 400 MW.

Germany, a top importer of Russian gas before the war in Ukraine, has been at the epicenter of the energy crisis in Europe since the war in Ukraine broke out.

The country is now leading the charge in the energy transition to renewables to meet the energy demands of its massive industrial sector.

Solar installations in the country lead the transition to renewables and are expected to grow considerably in the coming quarters.

While addressing a session at the 53rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023,  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that the country’s renewable shift is well on track despite setbacks and has accelerated post the war in Ukraine.

Germany installed 7.18 GW of solar capacity in 2022, a growth of 35.47% YoY from 5.3 GW installed in the preceding year. The country’s cumulative solar capacity at the end of the year stood at 66.5 GW.