The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg has published the third edition of a short study on the expansion of photovoltaics and battery storage in Germany. The most important current trends include the accelerated expansion of balcony and mini PV systems with an output of up to 2 kilowatt peak (kWp) as well as the growth in battery storage through coupled installation with PV systems. The brief study is based on the Market Master Data Register (MaStR), in which all electricity generation units connected to the general supply grid have had to be entered since January 2019.
In Germany, a total of almost 3.7 million PV systems with an installed capacity of over 82 GW were in operation by the end of 2023. In 2023 alone, over one million new systems were installed for the first time. With over 293,000 newly registered systems, a strong increase in balcony and mini systems up to 2 kWp can be observed. Here, the relative share of new installations increased from 2% in 2019 to 29% in 2023. Building systems between 2 and 10 kWp continue to account for the largest share of new installations, averaging 64% from 2001 to 2023.
Over 1.1 million battery storage systems were installed in Germany at the end of 2023
The number of new battery storage systems installed in Germany each year has risen rapidly in recent years. At the end of 2023, a total of over 1.1 million battery storage systems were installed in Germany, of which almost 50 % were added in 2023 alone. The home storage segment (up to 30 kWh storage capacity) accounted for almost 83% of the total installed storage capacity in Germany at the end of 2023. Home storage systems in Germany are primarily used in combination with PV systems. Large-scale storage systems (from 1,000 kWh storage capacity) now account for 13%.
