Weak winds in particular have curbed renewable energy production in Germany this year. Nevertheless, green energy sources have been able to maintain their share of total generation. “The figures show that there must be no hesitation in expanding renewables“, comments Patrick Lemcke-Braselmann, Co-CEO of the aream Group.

According to new figures from the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), the performance of onshore wind turbines was 12 per cent below the figure for the same period last year. Offshore turbines still lagged behind by eight per cent. “The first quarter of 2025 in particular saw exceptionally low wind speeds“, explains Lemcke-Braselmann.

This had a negative impact on the overall production of renewable energies. Nevertheless, the low wind speeds in the first three quarters were offset by increased solar power generation. According to the BDEW, solar power production rose by almost a quarter compared to the first nine months of 2024, mainly due to the strong expansion that is now having an effect. As a result, renewable energies covered almost 57 per cent of gross electricity consumption in the first three quarters of the current year, as much as in 2024.

The German wind turbines in the aream portfolio produced 20 per cent above their target values in September. “Finally, wind and good yields again, although they still varied greatly from region to region“, says Lemcke-Braselmann, explaining the success. Nevertheless, the lull of previous months has left its mark: in the first nine months of the current year, aream's wind turbines only managed to achieve around 80 per cent of their target.

The photovoltaic systems in the aream portfolio achieved 93 per cent of their target value in September. This result was slightly below expectations. The reasons for this were curtailments of around 400 MWh due to slightly above-average hours of sunshine and isolated technical failures. The Italian systems in the aream portfolio fell 11 per cent short of their target value in September. “The failure of a transformer due to lightning damage and the complete renovation of another plant reduced yields, despite otherwise stable performance“, explains Lemcke-Braselmann. In the case of the plants in Spain, curtailments of around 1,400 MWh detracted from an otherwise stable performance (target achievement: 81 per cent).