Germany Approves Record 20.8 GW of Wind Power in 2025

Germany's wind energy revolution just hit overdrive with the country approving more new turbines in 2025 than ever before in its history.

The nation greenlit a record 20.8 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity last year, according to industry agency Fachagentur Wind und Solar. That's enough clean energy to power millions of homes and a massive leap forward in the country's climate goals.

Even better, the bureaucracy is finally speeding up. Approval processes that once dragged on for months now take an average of just 17 months, a 28 percent improvement from 2024. Nearly half of all new turbines got the green light within a year, showing that red tape doesn't have to slow down progress.

The country also installed 5.2 gigawatts of new turbine capacity in 2025, a 58 percent jump from the previous year. If this momentum continues, Germany could add between 8 and 8.5 gigawatts of capacity in 2026 alone.

North Rhine-Westphalia led the charge for the third straight year, approving 5.9 gigawatts of capacity. That's roughly 30 percent of the country's total new approvals. Lower Saxony followed close behind with 5.2 gigawatts, maintaining its position as the state with the largest installed wind capacity overall.

Wind energy already powers a quarter of Germany's electricity grid. By the end of 2025, the country had 29,226 onshore turbines generating just over 68 gigawatts of total capacity, making wind the single most important power source in the nation.

The Ripple Effect

Germany's wind energy boom shows what's possible when government action meets industry momentum. The country is aiming for 115 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity by 2030 and an electricity grid running on 80 percent renewables by the same year.

These faster approvals mean more clean energy jobs, cleaner air for communities, and a real path toward hitting ambitious climate targets. Other countries watching Germany's progress now have a roadmap for cutting through bureaucratic delays while scaling up renewable energy fast.

The wind and solar agency expects 2026's bidding rounds to be heavily oversubscribed, signaling that developers are ready and eager to build even more. When climate action speeds up instead of stalling out, everyone wins.