Last year, Germany produced for the first time more electricity from renewable sources than coal. Water, wind, sun, and biomass became the largest source of electricity production in Germany. The solar panel installation and the closure of coal-fired power plants account for 40% of total electricity production. On the other hand, the share of coal in electricity generation dropped to 39% (stated by Bloomberg).
On the graph you can see the share of sources of electricity production in Germany:
- home-extracted brown coal – 24.1% of total electricity production
- the second place belongs to the wind with a share of 20.4 %
- coal from imports accounted for 13.9% and nuclear energy for 13.3 %
- hydroelectric plants accounted for only 3.2% of electricity production last year due to drought and insufficient rainfall.
Germany was a net exporter of electricity last year, with exports mainly to the Netherlands. However, it also imported a large amount of electricity from France.
The share of green electricity in Germany should continue to grow in the future, as the country has decided to shut down its nuclear power plant and coal-fired power plant as well. The government’s goal is that by 2030 renewable energies should have a 65% share in the country’s electricity generation.
Last year Germany was produced 542 TWh of electricity. Renewable production increased by 4.3% to 219 TWh. Electricity production from the sun rose by 16%, mainly due to prolonged warm summers and new installations.
