Solar bids won the entire capacity in Germany’s latest 202MW mixed wind-PV tender, the country’s federal grids agency (BNetzA) said.

The auction was heavily oversubscribed with 518MW in bids handed in by November 1, but not a single bid for a wind project was made.

Winning bids were awarded at prices between €51.80 ($61.47) per megawatt hour and €54.50/MWh, compared to a winning bid range of €49.70-€56.10 at the previous auction.

Although successful bids came from 12 different German states, almost half of the awarded capacity came from the relatively sunny southern state of Bavaria.

Solar has outperformed wind both in recent German mixed tenders and in technology-specific auctions, amid an ongoing permitting malaise and increasing not-in-my-backyard actions and lawsuits against new wind projects.

Subsidy-free solar

Solar energy is also expanding without subsidies in Germany.

Utility EnBW just said that its Weesow-Willmersdorf solar array at in Werneuchen north of Berlin has fed first power to the grid.

With 187MW, the solar farm is not only the country's largest, but also was built without any support.

“Large photovoltaic projects like this one ensure that photovoltaics are making a noticeable and cost-effective contribution to the Energiewende," said Thorsten Jörß, head of project development for PV at EnBW.

Some 70% of the modules at the €100m ($119m) project have already been fitted on substructures, the utility said.