A view of solar panels on the roof of a Metro logistics center. Bernd Thissen/dpa
Germany’s rooftop solar expansion has slowed sharply, with installations in 2025 falling to just over half the level seen two years earlier, according to projections by the German Solar Industry Association (BSW) seen in advance by dpa.
BSW estimates that around 453,800 new residential rooftop solar systems of up to 30 kilowatts were installed in 2025, based on data from Germany’s energy market register and expected late registrations.
The number marks a 29% drop from 2024, which had already seen a decline. Compared with 793,800 installations in 2023, the number has fallen by 43% within two years, the association said.
“In a market environment like this, any further deterioration of framework conditions would inevitably be toxic,” BSW chief executive Carsten Körnig said.
The warning comes as the association, together with 12 other industry and consumer groups, speaks out against deep cuts to solar subsidies currently under discussion for 2026.
The fall in newly installed residential solar capacity has been less pronounced but remains significant. BSW estimates additions in 2025 at 5.15 gigawatts peak, down 25% from 2024 and more than 35% compared with 2023.
Including ground-mounted installations, total newly built solar capacity in Germany is estimated at 17.5 gigawatts in 2025. That is below the roughly 20 gigawatts per year needed over the next five years to reach the country’s target of 215 gigawatts under Germany’s renewable energy law.
By the end of 2025, Germany had an estimated 118 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, including 43.7 gigawatts on residential rooftops, BSW said.