Germany sets record: wind and solar supplied 48.3% of its electricity in 2026

Germany reaches 48.3% renewable electricity from wind and solar

Germany, the world's third-largest economy, has just shattered its own record for renewable generation. Between January and June 2026, wind and solar provided 48.3% of the country's electricity. Solar power hit a monthly milestone in June, accounting for 35.5% of the mix, up from 31.7% in June 2025 and 33.4% in May 2026.

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The weight of self-consumption and the nuclear decline
The jump is no accident. Millions of self-consumption installations – both private households and businesses – are withdrawing demand from the grid, which distorts comparisons with previous years. At the same time, the closure of the nuclear plants, decided after the 2023 blackout, has been cited by critics as a burden forcing gaps to be filled with gas, although the data refute claims that clean generation has declined.

Against those who argue that Germany generates less electricity than in 2008 despite having a larger population, defenders of the energy transition point to GDP figures: German gross domestic product rose from €2.59 trillion in 2008 to €4.47 trillion in 2025, and GDP per capita climbed from €32,060 to €53,520. The economy has not only not suffered, it has grown solidly.

A mirage or the future of heavy industry?
The 48.3% record is a striking figure, but it is too early to declare victory. The intermittency of solar and wind remains the Achilles' heel: in the lowest-production months, coal and gas cover up to a third of demand. The big question is whether Germany can maintain these percentages through winter, when solar radiation falls and wind becomes erratic. For now, the first-half 2026 data are a warning to those who doubted the viability of the renewable model.