Let's be clear: Germany has installed more onshore wind turbines in the past decade than any other European country.

Wind speeds fell by around 12 per cent in March 2025 compared to the previous year. The reason for this was a North Atlantic pattern that brought Germany into an unusually long-lasting area of high pressure. This caused the average daily electricity generation of the country's thousands of wind turbines to fall to its lowest level since 2016 and kept electricity prices high.

The slump highlights that Europe's largest electricity market is once again reliant on the support of its old coal and gas-fired power plants and how difficult it will be for Germany to significantly reduce emissions from its power sector. These power plants are not only more expensive to operate, they also cause more pollution.

"The low wind strength means that fossil fuels continue to be a leading component in the energy mix, despite higher installed capacity," says Florence Schmit, Energy Strategist at Rabobank. "The German and therefore also the neighbouring European electricity markets are struggling with considerable declines."

The consequences

As a result, average day-ahead prices this month are 48% higher than a year ago and almost at the same level as at the end of the European energy crisis in 2023.

According to data from Atmospheric G2, the low wind speeds are due to the air pressure path associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation, a seesaw pattern over the ocean between the Azores and Iceland.

This path split in March, sending one low pressure zone south towards Spain and another over Scandinavia, said Matt Dobson, meteorologist at MetDesk. The split resulted in a persistent area of high pressure over the UK and Germany, which dampened wind speeds. However, it did provide unusually warm, sunny conditions that led to an increase in solar power production in the region.

Solar energy is becoming increasingly important

March 2025 was a remarkable month for renewable electricity generation in north-west and central Europe. In winter, similar high-pressure conditions also led to low wind speeds and acted as a magnet for low-lying clouds. This combination can lead to "dark doldrums" conditions with low electricity generation from wind turbines and solar installations.

In any case, the switch to renewable energies shows no signs of slowing down. According to BloombergNEF, Germany will add record amounts of wind power capacity every year until 2030. However, as countries continue to expand renewable energy, balancing fluctuating power generation will be a greater challenge as storage capacity is not yet sufficient to compensate for fluctuations in wind power generation.

Based on the air pressure trends, BNEF assumes that the wind deficit in Germany will continue next month. The wind power deficit has increased reliance on gas-fired power generation, which rose 51% year-on-year in February, says Jess Hicks, analyst at BloombergNEF. The source has remained high in March, although solar energy is becoming increasingly important.