Approximately two-thirds of summer electricity consumption is sourced from renewable energy sources.
This year's sun-soaked summer saw a record-breaking surge in renewable energy's share in power generation, with solar power production demonstrating a notable rise. Once again, wind power reigned supreme as the primary energy source.
Approximately two-thirds of Germany's power supply came from renewable resources, thanks to the solar energy boom during the summer. From July to September's end, a staggering 96.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity was produced and fed into the grid, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. This marked a 2.5% increase over the previous year. The production of renewable energy increased by 7.1%, peaking at an impressive 63.4% of the total electricity produced.
On the other hand, power generation from conventional energy sources took a 4.7% hit, leaving them with a mere 36.6% share of the total domestic electricity production, down from 39.4% the year prior.
Wind power generation saw a 2.4% growth in the summer quarter, placing it atop the list of domestic electricity sources with a 24.7% share. "The most significant growth was witnessed in power generation from photovoltaics," the statisticians stated. It saw a 13.5% increase compared to the previous year, placing it second in importance with a 23.8% share.
The statisticians explained that the rise in power production from photovoltaics and wind power was due to the unusually sunny and windy months of the third quarter in 2024 and an appreciable increase in photovoltaic installation capacity at the start of the third quarter, which was over one-fifth higher than the previous year.
Power generation from coal declined by 6.0% compared to the year prior, accounting for only 21.4% of the total, down from 23.4% the previous year. The production of natural gas even experienced a steeper decrease of 8.8%, enabling it to account for just 11.4% of domestic power generation, in contrast to 12.8% the year before.
The amount of electricity imported into Germany increased by 2.2% to 23.6 billion kilowatt-hours during the summer. Notably, electricity exports saw a substantial increase of 19.2%, amounting to 11.8 billion kilowatt-hours. The statisticians reported that, "twice as much electricity was imported from abroad as was exported to abroad."
Despite the record-breaking surge in renewable energy production, Germany is still grappling with an energy crisis, as traditional energy sources continue to decline and imports increase. The energy crisis could be exacerbated if the growth in renewable energy production does not keep pace with the decline in conventional energy sources.
The energy crisis might necessitate a stronger push towards energy conservation measures and further investments in energy storage solutions, ensuring a more balanced supply and demand of electricity in Germany.
