Energy transition: Production of solar power is heading towards a record

Solar energy is making an increasing contribution to electricity generation in Germany. What are the consequences?

Electricity production from solar energy has reached a record level in Germany.

Berlin. The share of solar energy in net electricity generation in Germany is heading towards a record. For the first time, more than 100 terawatt hours of solar power could be generated within a calendar year, said the Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) in Berlin, citing data from the energy charts of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

As of September 27th, the value was already 90.2 terawatt hours, which is higher than the figure for the entire year 2025, which was 90 terawatt hours. According to the association, the unusually high number of hours of sunshine as well as the further expansion of photovoltaics contributed to the high values. 20 years ago, however, only 2.2 terawatt hours were produced throughout the year.

The approaching record value is a milestone for the energy transition, said Carsten Körnig, Managing Director of BSW-Solar. "Photovoltaics has developed from a niche technology into a mainstay of our electricity supply. The entire society benefits from this: through cheaper electricity, fewer energy imports and significantly lower climate damage."

Renewable energy sources important for electricity generation

An amount of electricity of 100 terawatt hours is a lot. A terawatt hour is a billion kilowatt hours, in figures: 1,000,000,000. For comparison: 10.7 terawatt hours of electricity were consumed in Hamburg last year. Households in Germany often have an electricity consumption of 2,000 to 4,000 kilowatt hours.

Renewable energies are becoming more important for electricity generation in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 59.1 percent of all electricity produced domestically in the first half of the year came from renewable sources. Photovoltaics accounted for 17.8 percent of the total amount of electricity and was the third most important energy source in domestic electricity generation. Before that, wind power was the most important energy source and coal was the second most important.