Wind power demand surges in Germany as rooftop solar auction comes in under volume
BERLIN, March 31 (Reuters) - Germany's onshore wind tender was heavily oversubscribed while a parallel auction for rooftop solar systems came in under volume, the Federal Network Agency said on Tuesday as it released results of the latest renewable energy auctions.
The onshore wind tender was more than twice oversubscribed, with developers submitting bids for nearly 7,900 megawatts (MW) against roughly 3,450 MW on offer.
Competition drove prices to their lowest level since 2018, with the average award dropping to 5.54 cents per kilowatt hour (ct/kWh) from 6.06 ct/kWh in the previous round.
In contrast, the auction for solar systems on buildings and noise barriers attracted just 177 MW in bids, short of the 283 MW available. All eligible bids were accepted at an average price of 9.56 ct/kWh, slightly below the prior round.
The strong wind demand bolsters Germany's push to accelerate renewable capacity, though a political dispute persists over whether developers should shoulder more of the financial risks from grid congestion.
