Germany Lowers Rooftop Solar, Wind Tender Price Caps for 2026
Germany has reduced the rooftop solar PV tender cap for 2026 to €0.10/kWh from €0.1040/kWh in 2025
Ground-mounted and innovation solar tenders will keep existing caps, as competition remains strong at current price levels
However, for innovation tenders the agency says the maximum bid price of €0.0713/kWh will apply
Onshore wind auction cap is set at €0.0725/kWh for 2026, slightly lower than in 2025 and 2024
Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has lowered the price caps for rooftop solar PV tenders for the year 2026. Compared to the ceiling of €0.1040/kWh in 2025 for this segment, the cap has been revised down to €0.10/kWh.
“The new maximum values set a framework that allows many bidders to participate in the tenders. The maximum values are lower than last year. This is due to the reduced expected electricity generation costs and the high level of competition in recent tenders,” said President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller.
For onshore wind, the maximum bid price for 2026 auctions is fixed at €0.0725/kWh, down from €0.0735/kWh in 2025, which was unchanged from 2024 levels.
It says the revised values factor in the ‘lower expected’ levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and results of the latest tender rounds. In the last rooftop solar auction round concluded by the agency for October 1, 2025, the highest winning bid came in at the ceiling cap of €0.1040/kWh, down from €0.1038/kWh for the June 1 auction (see Germany Awards 281 MW Under Rooftop Solar Auction).
“Without these adjustments, the maximum values would have fallen back to the significantly lower levels stipulated in the Renewable Energy Sources Act. These lower levels would not have been profitable for most plants,” explained the agency.
For next year, there is no change to the maximum bid prices for ground-mounted and innovation tenders as the agency says the ‘legally mandated’ prices will apply.
“The results of the tenders show that a high level of competition is possible at these prices. Therefore, the Federal Network Agency has not set a new maximum bid price for these tenders,” it added.
The maximum bid price for ground-mounted tenders will be based on the results of the last 3 tender rounds. The highest winning bids for the last 3 rounds were determined as €0.0495/kWh (December 1, 2024), €0.0488/kWh (March 1, 2025), and €0.0626/kWh (July 1, 2025). Results of the December 1, 2025, auction for this segment are awaited (see Germany Awards 2.27 GW In Ground Mounted Solar Auction).
For innovation tenders next year, the agency says the maximum bid price of €0.0713/kWh will apply. In 2025, bids for the innovation tenders were capped at €0.09/kWh in 2025 (see Germany Fixes Ceiling Tariffs For 2025 Solar PV Tenders).
The German agency stressed that setting price caps will enable profitable bids, while also preventing excessively high bids that are not based on the actual levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) in the event of a lack of competition.
The new regulations will apply to all tenders within the next 12 months, starting with those with bid deadlines on February 1, 2026.
