Markets

Germany Installed Over 446 MW Solar In May 2020

The year 2020 is turning out to be a better one for German solar market compared to the previous year despite COVID-19 obstructions the spring, as the country is steadily increasing its installations. In the first 5 months of 2019, PV additions reached a total of 1.78 GW compared to over 1.92 GW in the same period in 2020.

Anu Bhambhani
  • Federal Network Agency of Germany counts over 446 MW new solar PV capacity addition in May 2020
  • It is higher than 227.8 MW installed in May 2019 and also when compared to over 380 MW added in the previous month
  • Cumulative installed capacity of the country till the end of May 2020 reached 51.5 GW

In 2020, Germany had its highest solar installation in a single month in May 2020 with 446.254 MW added, as per Bundesnetzagentur or the Federal Network Agency. This is several notches higher than the 227.8 MW the country reported for May 2019.

The 446 MW comprises 321 MW of new rooftop solar systems in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment. It is even higher than the 380 MW installed in the previous month of April 2020.

The higher numbers could be attributed to the easing of lockdown restrictions and opening up of the economy in the post COVID-19 scenario. At the same time, it was even more driven by the fear that the 52 GW total PV installations cap was coming quickly closer, even though the government finally agreed to lift the 52 GW cap in May 2020, that finally led to the German Parliament formally removing the cap in June 2020.

Altogether, in the first 5 months of 2020, Germany has now installed 1,927 MW, beating last year's 1.78 GW and taking the cumulative to 51.1 GW.