City of Berlin’s solar mandate drives surge in rooftop photovoltaics

Berlin’s legal requirement to install solar power on new and renovated buildings has helped drive a surge in rooftop photovoltaics, reports pv magazine. But while the number of PV systems has tripled in the German capital since the start of the solar mandate in 2023, Berlin’s ambition to increase solar’s share of electricity consumption to 25 percent within ten years remains a distant target.

In early October, 53,000 PV installations with a combined capacity of 459 megawatts were installed in Berlin, generating around five percent of the city’s electricity demand, according to a city government report. This compares to 15,000 arrays with 194 megawatts at the start of the mandate in early 2023.

Berlin introduced the solar mandate to unlock the city’s rooftop solar potential and contribute to climate goals. Since 1 January 2023, new buildings and major roof renovations on existing structures must include a photovoltaic system.

The city government aims to increase solar capacity to 4,400 megawatts by 2035, according to its “Masterplan Solarcity”, and now plans to focus on pushing the installation of high-capacity arrays on company roofs to approach those targets.

Berlin offers a test case for how local mandates can support Europe's clean energy goals. The EU’s Solar Rooftop Standard, which is part of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and mandates that all new buildings be solar-ready, entered into force at the start of the year. Lobby group SolarPower Europe said the new standard could drive an additional 150–200 gigawatts of rooftop PV across the EU by 2030.

Rooftop solar on housing blocks in Germany could provide up to 28 percent of the additional solar capacity needed to meet the country’s 2030 climate targets, said a report by government-funded research project Ariadne.