Ground-Mounted Solar Market 2026 — Additions, EEG Volume, Trends
In short: Germany's PV market was at a high level in 2025 with +16.2 GW of additions (source: Fraunhofer ISE). Roughly half of the EEG (Renewable Energy Sources Act) target path (215 GW PV by 2030) is attributable to ground-mounted installations. For 2026 a target path of 22 GW PV additions per year is foreseen (source: PV Tech).
Key figures 2025
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Installed PV capacity end of 2025 | 116.8 GW DC | Fraunhofer ISE |
| Net additions 2025 | 16.2 GW DC (≈ 14.3 GW AC) | Fraunhofer ISE |
| Auction volume ground-mounted solar | 9,900 MW (across 3 rounds) | BNetzA |
| Awarded bids, 01.07.2025 round | 258 bids / 2,271 MW | BNetzA |
| Bid prices, 01.07.2025 round | 4.00–6.26 ct/kWh | BNetzA |
| December 2025 round | heavily oversubscribed | Solarserver |
| Target additions from 2026 | 22 GW PV/year | PV Tech |
| EEG target 2030 (total PV) | 215 GW, 50 % each rooftop/ground-mounted | solarbranche.de |
Three trends for 2026
- The privileged corridor becomes the standard route: Since Solarpaket I (Solar Package I, 16.05.2024) ground-mounted PV within the 200-m corridor along motorways/railways is privileged (legally favoured under § 35 BauGB) — many developers are deliberately steering their site acquisition there.
- Intensified competition at auctions: The December 2025 auction was significantly oversubscribed — pressure on the ceiling price and falling bid prices are the result.
- The PPA share is growing: Large parks (> 50 MWp) are increasingly being built without the EEG and instead financed via PPA — see PPA.
Ground-mounted solar market 2026 — key figures, trends and the trajectory of additions
Frequently asked questions
How large is the ground-mounted share of total PV additions?
Policy targets a 50/50 split between rooftop and ground-mounted in the EEG goal. In practice the ground-mounted share varies from year to year — the exact quota is transparent via the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) market master data.
Is it still worth entering the market?
For developers with a site pipeline and experience: yes. For newcomers without a pipeline the barrier in 2026 is considerably higher than just a few years ago — the margin in the auction has narrowed.
Where can official statistics be found?
German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) (market master data register, auction results), Fraunhofer ISE (annual reports "Recent Facts about Photovoltaics in Germany"), BSW-Solar (industry statistics).