Space requirements for PV and wind power recorded

11.08.2025

Source: E & M powernews

By the end of 2024, 45,200 hectares were occupied by photovoltaic systems and 14,383 hectares by wind turbines in Germany, the German government announced in response to an AfD inquiry.

In Germany, around 45,200 hectares were used for ground-mounted photovoltaic systems by the end of 2024. This is according to an answer from the federal government to a minor question from the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag. The figures relate to all land categories and include both agricultural and non-agricultural land. According to the federal government, it is not possible to use these areas for agriculture.

A total of 14,383 hectares of land was used for wind turbines. The calculation is based on an average occupancy of 0.5 hectares per wind turbine with a total of 28,766 turbines as of December 31, 2024. Around 1,266.5 hectares were accounted for by forest areas, on which 2,533 turbines were installed.

A detailed breakdown of the development over the last ten years is available for photovoltaics, but only from 2020 for wind power, as earlier data was not fully available. According to the German government, the expansion on forestry land has been documented in publications by the German Wind and Solar Agency since 2010.

Agri-photovoltaics shares the space

There has been little scientific evidence to date on possible changes in the yield or quality of agricultural or forestry land as a result of wind power or photovoltaic systems. Corresponding investigations are currently underway as part of national and international research projects, including agrivoltaics. With this technology, farming or grazing under the PV panels is possible.

On the subject of land consumption, the German government refers to the goals of the National Strategy on Biological Diversity 2030, which aims to reduce the daily increase in settlement and transport areas to less than 30 hectares by 2030 at the latest and to achieve net zero consumption by 2050. However, according to the German government, the current daily increase is still around 52 hectares.

There is currently no uniform overview of legal or financial incentives for federal states and local authorities to reduce land consumption. However, support measures such as integrated rural development are based on the principle of "internal development before external development" and also include the promotion of unsealing fallow land.

Spatial planning law amended

As a legal measure, the Spatial Planning Act was amended in July 2025. For the first time, the aspect of multiple use is anchored there in order to create planning security and avoid additional new land use. In addition, the Natural Climate Protection Action Program, which supports cooperative models between agriculture, municipalities and nature conservation, will be continued.

According to the Federal Government, unsealing measures on properties owned by the Federal Agency for Real Estate are also part of the strategy. These measures are primarily carried out on former military sites with the aim of restoring natural soil functions.

The Federal Government's land-saving targets are available on the Internet.

Author: Susanne Harmsen