In a remarkable start to 2024, renewable energy sources accounted for 58.4% of all electricity generated in Germany during the first quarter, marking the highest percentage since tracking commenced in 2018.
Germany witnessed a substantial increase in renewable energy production, generating a total of 121.5 billion kilowatt hours, reflecting an 11.6% surge compared to the previous year. Conversely, the output from fossil-fuel power sources experienced a significant decline of 25.4%, constituting just 41.6% of Germany's total electricity production.
Wind power emerged as a prominent contributor, producing an additional 5 billion kilowatt hours, indicating a 12% rise from the previous year and now constituting 38.5% of the country's electricity. Meanwhile, solar power also experienced notable growth, increasing by 1.4 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to a 21% rise, and now contributing 6.6% of Germany's electricity.
Reflecting on the milestone, Thomas Grigoleit, Director of Energy, Building, and Environmental Technologies at Trade & Invest, remarked, “Never before has so much renewably generated energy been produced and fed into the grid in Germany. Almost 60% climate-friendly electricity shows that the expansion of wind and solar capacities continues to bear fruit, and that Germany is on the way toward climate neutrality.”
Germany has set ambitious targets to combat climate change, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Additionally, the country has established interim goals to slash emissions by 88% by 2040 and achieve net zero emissions by 2045.
However, while progress is evident in the electricity sector, further efforts are required to decarbonize the transport and building sectors, as they fell short of their emissions targets in 2023.
