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Renewables provide 52 pct of German power in 2023, as wind overtakes coal

The share of renewable energy sources in Germany’s total energy consumption grew to 22 percent in 2023 thanks to the steady expansion of solar and wind power installations in electricity production and an increase in the uptake of renewable heating systems, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has said.

The increase from a share of 20.8 percent in the previous year had also been made possible by falling energy demand across all sectors, the agency added.

Total renewable electricity production in the country increased 7 percent to more than 272 terawatt hours (TWh), the highest level ever (Ed: and more than Australia’s entire electricity consumption), while electricity demand fell 5 percent during the same period.

This resulted in a record 51.8 percent share of renewables in electricity consumption, UBA said.

Wind turbines and solar PV arrays contributed three quarters of all renewable electricity production. With an output of 142.1 TWh, wind power alone produced more than all lignite and hard coal plants combined for the first time. 

Thanks to unusually high precipitation in 2023, the share of hydroelectric power production increased 11 percent to 19.6 TWh, whereas electricity production from biomass fell 5 percent to 49.3 TWh.

However, biomass remained the most important technology for renewable heating by far (170.6 TWh), contributing 83 percent to the sector.