Last year, solar power plants in Germany supplied more electricity than lignite-fired power plants for the first time. That comes from one Evaluation by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE). Photovoltaic systems generated a total of around 87 terawatt hours of electricity, 21 percent more than in the previous year. The share of lignite and hard coal in the entire German electricity mix has fallen to 22.4 percent. According to the information, wind power remained by far the most important source of electricity at 132 terawatt hours. As in the previous year, the share of renewable energies in the electricity mix was 55.9 percent.

According to ISE, gross electricity generation from lignite and hard coal was 106 terawatt hours last year. That was around one terawatt hour less than in 2024 and the lowest value since 1956. Across the EU, electricity generation from photovoltaics in 2025 was 275 terawatt hours for the first time above the sum from lignite and hard coal, which reached 243 terawatt hours.

“Coal-fired power generation is often no longer economically worthwhile,” said Bruno Burger from Fraunhofer ISE Mirror.

This article will continue to be updated.