Record offshore wind power production contributed to the astounding figure.
In another shining example of renewable
energy leadership, in 2016, Germany used more renewable electricity than
ever before, receiving 32 percent of the gross amount of electricity consumed
in the country from sun, wind and other renewable sources.
The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research
Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Association of Energy and Water
Industries (BDEW) arrived at this figure in an initial estimate in late 2016.
If the projections are correct, more than 191 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of
electricity will have been generated from renewables by end of the year. This
would mark an increase from the previous year during which the country consumed
slightly more than 187 billion kWh, which is 31.5 percent of the gross amount
of electricity consumed that year. The federal
government's energy targets call for renewables' share in gross
electricity consumption to arrive at 35 percent by 2020 and the country is clearly
on track to achieve that goal.
The energy sources breakdown as follows:
- Offshore wind 13B kWh – up 57 percent over 2015
- Onshore wind 67B kWh – down 6 percent from 2015
- Solar PV 38B kWh – down 1 percent from 2015
- Hydropower (including pumped storage hydro) ~22B kWh – up 13 percent from 2015
- Biomass and waste 52B kWh – up 3 percent over 2015
- Geothermal power 0.2B kWh – up 12 percent over 2015
Stefan Kapferer, Chairman of BDEW's General Executive
Management Board said that while the growing share of renewables in the mix is
positive, the country still needs conventional sources of power to back up the
ongoing conversion of the country’s energy supply. He also stated that the grid
expansion is necessary.
“The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs has just confirmed
in its monitoring report on the Energiewende [Germany's energy transition] that
the grid expansion is clearly lagging behind established and necessary goals.
The gears of grid and renewables expansion have to be meshed more closely to
reduce the enormous costs of stabilizing grids," he said in a press release.
Prof. Frithjof Staiss, Managing Director of ZSW, said that
the use of fossil fuels in the country is still too high, especially in the
transportation sector.
“This is why policymakers, businesses and society will have
to make a more determined effort to achieve climate protection targets and
successfully transform the entire energy system," said Staiss.
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