The rise came amid a further expansion of renewable installations and favourable weather conditions, the BDEW said, but added that full-year figures won't necessarily follow the same trend as output can vary considerably from quarter to quarter.

Germany's government recently reformed the country's Renewable Energies Act (EEG), in part to slow down the rapid expansion of renewables, which it believes are surging ahead of an upgrade of power grids and pushing electricity prices up too much.