Germany has 74% renewable electricity supply

Green energy in Germany

In 2011, German media reported that a small farming village in Bavaria was producing 321% more energy than it needed. Now, Germany has proven that it is still the world’s leading renewable energy country. On May 18, 74% of Germany’s electricity demand was met by renewable energy sources. According to Berlin-based Agora Energiewende, Germany’s renewable energy use set a new record on Sunday, May 18, when wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower provided the vast majority of the country’s electricity generation.



Green energy in Germany



Information provided by Agora Energiewende, an analyst group, shows that the combined contribution of renewables reached 43.54 gigawatts between noon and afternoon. This equates to nearly three-quarters of the country’s needs.



Green energy in Germany



Agora Energiewende noted, however, that the inability of some generators to shut down as needed resulted in more than 10 gigawatts of excess capacity being generated at the record, which were exported to neighboring markets.



Green energy in Germany



Germany has always been among the leaders in Europe when it comes to solar power, and this weekend (May 17-18) was no exception with a peak capacity of 15.2 gigawatts. However, this was only half of Germany’s nominal peak solar capacity (over 33 gigawatts), as much of the sky in the northern part of the country was covered in clouds.



Green energy in Germany



Wind power provided 21 gigawatts of energy, while fossil fuels such as coal and gas provided the remaining 26% of the country’s energy demand – about 26 gigawatts (although this is only half of their normal production).

Environmentalists all over the world hope that the rest of Europe will learn from Germany’s example and actively use renewable energy at least during less energy-intensive days of the week.

Source: www.ecobyt.ru/