One of Germany’s goals is to have 65% of its consumer electricity derived from renewable energy sources by 2030. On April 1, the country seemed to be on the right path, with 52% of energy coming from renewables already in the first quarter of 2020. However, renewable energy activists warned that slowdowns jeopardize the trend in constructing new wind and solar plants.
The ZSW solar energy & hydrogen research center Baden-Württemberg and the federal BDEW energy & water industry found renewables jumped 7% from 44.4% in the same period in 2019, in comparison to the consumption of fossil fuel.
In the first quarter of 2019, solar panels, wind (specifically offshore wind turbines), and other sources generated 77 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) compared to the first quarter of 2019 with 67 kWh. Using the EU energy consumption measurement, which includes conventional coal, gas, and nuclear plants, Germany’s total amounted to 148 billion kWh.
Officials said the 7% jump came despite the pandemic impact on the industry and plant closures, while also noting that in March there was a lot of sunshine, and in February, strong winds. At the end of 2019, Germany closed its two Philippsburg nuclear power plants and placed brown coal power plants on standby to cover any potential emergencies.
BDEW and ZSW advised that this trend could not be extrapolated for the whole of 2020, in part because of local objectors and investor indecision. Some residents of the North Sea wind farms resist the building of additional wind turbines and extra arterial power lines to transmit energy to the south, for health and scenic reasons.
The head of BDEW, Kerstin Andreae, warned that the record figures stand in contrast to investment restrictions. If it’s not removed quickly, it could make Germany’s target of 65% self-reliance unreachable.
Furthermore, the two groups calculated Germany’s gross electricity produced with exported electricity. They found that in the first quarter of the year, renewable sources made up 49% of the country’s total electricity production.
