2025 was a record year for wind energy.
The year 2025 stands out due to an extraordinary upward trend in both commissioning and approvals granted for new onshore wind turbines. Newly installed wind energy capacity grew by 58 per cent compared to the previous year, making 2025 the second-best year for expansion in German history. The volume of newly approved wind energy capacity reached a new all-time high of 20.7 gigawatts (GW).
Despite the unprecedented volume of approvals, the duration of the approval process decreased significantly. With an average of just under 17 months, the plant approval procedures completed in 2025 were 28 per cent faster than in the previous year. Almost half of the wind turbines newly approved in 2025 received official notification within one year.
North Rhine-Westphalia leads Lower Saxony by a clear margin in both gross expansion and newly issued approvals. The southern region's share of realised and newly approved wind energy capacity reached just under ten per cent (expansion) and 15 per cent respectively in 2025.
At the end of the year, the total nationwide stock comprised around 29,220 turbines with a capacity of 68.1 GW. 12.6 GW of the installed capacity is being (continued to be) operated without EEG remuneration.
The evaluation was carried out on behalf of the associations BWE and VDMA Power Systems.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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15.01.2026
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