Germany's solar installations rise to 50GW, approach cap of 52GW
pv magazine
The combined capacity of Germany's solar pv installations rose to almost 50 gigawatts (GW) in February, further approaching the controversial government cap of 52 gigawatts, reports Sandra Enkhardt in pv magazine. According to data from the country's grid agency (BNetzA), additions reached 357 megawatts (MW) in February, taking the total to 49.75 GW. Rooftop installations made up most of the increase, with 287 MW, the report said.
Germany currently has a cap in place limiting government support for new solar PV installations to a total of 52 gigawatts (GW), a limit that could be reached this summer, according to the industry. In November 2019, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the cap would be removed, but the government has so far failed to deliver on implementation. Last week, about 2,000 companies from Germany's solar power and wider energy industry signed a letter to Merkel calling for an immediate removal of the looming cap.
The solar cap and other hurdles to renewable energy expansion, particularly onshore wind power, have become a drag on the country's energy transition, threatening to jeopardise the country's emissions reduction and renewable energy targets.
