© Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), Source: AGEE-Stat
Renewable energy: Growth across all sectors in the first half of 2026
During the first half of 2026, renewables accounted for more than half of Germany’s electricity consumption, reaching 57%. Generation from wind, hydropower, solar, and bioenergy saw a 6% increase over the previous year, rising from 145 terawatt-hours (TWh) to 153 TWh.
Renewable energy use also expanded in the buildings sector, where the share of ambient heat and geothermal energy rose by 19%, and in the transport sector, where the use of biofuels and electricity grew by 13%.
Favourable weather conditions drove strong renewable output
Wind energy continued to dominate renewable electricity production, accounting for approximately 45% of the total, followed by solar PV (34%), biomass (15%), hydropower (5%), and geothermal energy (less than 1%). This strong performance was underpinned by a high number of windy days in the first half of 2026, which aligned more closely with the long-term median than the exceptionally low wind conditions seen in the first half of 2025.
Solar PV similarly thrived, benefitting – as in the previous year – from above-average irradiation and the continued expansion of installations. With around 8 gigawatts of new gross capacity added in the first half of 2026, Germany is on track to meet the RES Act target of 128 GW total installed PV capacity as early as this summer.
In the onshore wind sector, around 2 GW in net capacity was added in the first half of 2026, bringing the total to 70 GW. While the number of new approvals is rising, this momentum is not yet reflected in current onshore wind expansion levels. It is thus highly probable that the RES Act target of 84 GW by the end of 2026 will be considerably underachieved.
Transition in the heating sector primarily driven by heat pumps
Heat pumps have seen the most significant increase in heat generation from ambient heat and geothermal energy, establishing these systems as the primary driver of the heat transition. Solar thermal energy (+3%) and gaseous biomass (+1%) also increased their share of heat generation. This growth can be attributed to the relatively low temperatures in the first quarter of 2026, which led to a rise in total heat demand.
Biofuels and electric mobility on the rise
In the transport sector, renewables recorded their largest half-year increase to date, rising by 13% compared to the same period last year. This was primarily driven by an increase in the greenhouse gas reduction quota, which rose from 10.6% in 2025 to 12% in 2026, leading to higher biofuel sales, most notably biodiesel and HVOs (+11.4% combined). Simultaneously, the combined effect of a growing electric vehicle fleet and a greener electricity mix saw the calculated volume of renewable electricity used for transport surge by more than 20%.
These insights are provided by AGEE-Stat, which monitors the use of renewable energy in Germany and compiles regular reports on its development based on current figures on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. In addition to its annual publications, the Working Group also produces regular monthly and quarterly reports.