Berlin (gtai) - 28.5 percent of the electricity consumed in Germany in the first half of 2014 came from renewable sources, preliminary estimates from the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) show. This is up from 24.6 percent in the same period last year thanks to new installations and favorable weather.

“The reoccurring records for renewables in Germany demonstrate the incredible success of Germany’s EEG legislation,” says Max Hildebrandt, renewable energy industry expert at Germany Trade & Invest, the country’s foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency.

Wind, photovoltaic, and biomass plants generated over 71 terawatt-hours of electricity in the first six months. Meanwhile, the share of electricity produced from almost all conventional sources was down, the preliminary figures show: natural gas by 1.6 percent to 9.8 percent; hard coal down by 1.7 percent to 18 percent; and lignite down by 0.2 percent to 25.1 percent. Nuclear produced a slightly higher proportion of the total power generated: up 0.3 percent to 15.4 percent, BDEW estimates.

The mild weather Germany has been experiencing means that solar production was up but also that total electricity and gas consumption were down – gas by 20 percent and electricity by 5 percent compared to the same period last year.

“After the triple record for solar PV production in early June, this recent record confirms the overall trend towards renewables in Germany,” concludes Hildebrandt.