Renewables Generated One-Third Of Germany’s Power In First Half Of 2014

Approximately 31% of Germany’s electricity came from renewable energy during the first half of 2014, thanks to growing renewable development and good weather conditions for solar and wind power generation, according to a new report from the Fraunhofer Institute.

For the first time in Germany, energy from renewable sources made up a larger portion of electricity generation than brown coal. Wind and solar power accounted for 27% of the nation’s electricity production, while a further 4% came from hydro.

Renewable energy continues to grow steadily in Germany. Solar power grew by 28% and wind power by 19% during the first 6 months of 2014, compared with the same period in the previous year. Consequently, Germany has set a number of renewable energy records for itself recently; most notably, back in May on a particularly sunny and windy day, renewable energy accounted for a whopping 74% of national demand during the middle of the day.

However, the energy news from Germany is not all so good. Brown coal-fired electricity was still at the high level of 2012, and 5% higher than the average over the past decade. There has been an increase in electricity exporting so far this year, with an export surplus of 18 terawatt-hours.

Despite the exports of coal-fired power, as we recently discussed, Germany’s official Energiewende (energy transition) is reportedly leaving a “trail of blood” on coal company balance sheets. This could well escalate, as Germany has a target of 80% renewable energy generation by 2050, and it’s on track to achieve a target of 45% by 2025.

Image CC licensed by Jute

Via Think Progress