The German solar market and agri-PV on the up
Record expansion of photovoltaics in Germany
Germany continues to experience a sustained photovoltaic boom. In 2025, solar power plants with an output of 16.5 gigawatts were newly connected to the grid - exceeding the expansion target of 15 gigawatts planned by the German Federal Government. By the end of 2025, a total of over 117 gigawatts of solar power had been installed in Germany, and the output is expected to increase to 215 gigawatts by 2030. Already in 2025, renewable energies covered around 56 percent of gross electricity consumption - the third year in a row, in which more than half of electricity consumption comes from renewable sources. The German Federal Government’s Solar Package I, which came into force in May 2024, is driving this upturn and creating better framework conditions for technologies such as agri-PV. There are separate tender quotas and higher remunerations for agri-PV systems - the tender volume for special solar plants has more than doubled to 800 megawatts per year in 2025, and systems up to one megawatt receive a fixed feed-in tariff of 9.36 cents/kWh over 20 years. The legislator is thus addressing a growing conflict: Agricultural land is becoming increasingly scarce for conservation, infrastructure and energy production. Agri-PV solves this conflict by using the same area for food production and electricity generation - a true double harvest.
Big potential with tangible benefits
Around 4.3 million hectares in Germany are particularly suitable for agri-PV, because certain crops and land types there harmonise well with PV modules. The Jülich Research Centre quantifies the realistic potential - i.e. land on which agri-PV makes ecological sense and stabilises yields - for one to two percent of all agricultural land. This corresponds to an output of 170 to 340 gigawatts, which can contribute to German solar expansion by 2040. The benefits are clear: The modules protect plants from heat and dry stress, reduce evaporation and can stabilise yields under changing climate conditions. In addition, farmers are opening up additional sources of income by leasing or operating the plants themselves. However, agri-PV projects also face challenges: The investment costs are higher than for conventional systems, there are no uniform standards and the legal framework conditions vary regionally. The further development of DIN SPEC 91434 into a complete standard is intended to remedy this and provide planning security for farmers, investors and licencing authorities.
