The economy Electricity from renewable energies in Germany rises to record level

Almost two thirds of the electricity generated in Germany comes from renewable energies. Thanks in part to favorable weather conditions, the share rose to 63.4 percent in the third quarter - a record high for this quarter of the year.

Keystone-SDA

06.12.2024, 11:58

SDA

In the same period last year, the share was 60.6 percent, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Friday.

Electricity generation from wind power grew by 2.4 percent in the third quarter within a year. Wind power thus remained the most important source of energy with a share of 24.7 percent. The strongest growth was seen in electricity generation from photovoltaics at 13.5 percent - it was the second most important source of electricity at 23.8 percent.

"The increase in electricity production from photovoltaics and wind power is due to particularly sunny and windy months in the third quarter of 2024 and a significant expansion of photovoltaic systems," the statisticians wrote. Accordingly, installed capacity at the start of the third quarter was a good fifth higher than a year earlier.

Coal now only the third most important energy source

In contrast, the amount of electricity generated in coal-fired power plants fell by six percent in the third quarter. As the third most important energy source, coal-fired electricity accounted for 21.4% of the electricity generated (third quarter of 2023: 23.4%). Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, electricity generation from natural gas fell significantly by almost nine percent to a share of 11.4 percent, compared to 12.8 percent a year earlier.

The amount of electricity imported into Germany rose by 2.2% to 23.6 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter. In contrast, electricity exports grew by a good 19 percent to 11.8 billion kilowatt hours. This means that twice as much electricity was imported from abroad as was exported abroad. Before the nuclear phase-out was completed in 2023, Germany was still a net exporter of electricity.