Renewables Generated a Record 65 Percent of Germany’s Electricity Last Week

Wind turbines in rural Germany.

Wind turbines in rural Germany. Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons

Renewable energy sources supplied nearly 65 percent of Germany’s electricity last week, with wind turbines alone responsible for 48.4 percent of power production nationwide, Clean Energy Wire reported. As a result, fossil fuel plants ran at a minimum output and nuclear facilities were shut down at night.

“These figures show that the envisaged goal [of the German government] of 65 percent renewables by 2030 is technically feasible,” Bruno Burger, a researcher with the solar research institute Fraunhofer ISE, said in a statement.

Lignite coal generated an average 24 percent of Germany’s electricity in 2018. Last week, that share was down to just 12 percent. Solar contributed 5.1 percent of Germany’s electricity last week, biomass 7.6 percent, and hydropower 3.5 percent.

Germany recently increased its renewable energy goal from 55 to 65 percent by 2030 to compensate for the decommissioning of aging nuclear and coal plants. In 2018, renewable energy generated an average of 40.4 percent of the country’s electricity. Analysts are encouraged by early 2019 numbers: Solar power generation jumped 20 percent over last February, while onshore wind increased by 36 percent and offshore wind by 26 percent.

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