Friday, December 08, 2023

Less electricity generated in Germany, renewable sources now dominate
2023/12/06
A general view of the Dolwin Alpha offshore wind farm. Significantly less electricity was generated in Germany in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year due to weaker demand as a result of the economic situation and energy imports from abroad. 
Sina Schuldt/dpa

Significantly less electricity was generated in Germany in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year due to weaker demand as a result of the economic situation and energy imports from abroad.

The volume fell by some 20% to 94.2 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter, the Federal Statistical Office, or Destatis, reported on Wednesday.

"The reasons for the decline are likely to have been a lower demand for electricity as a result of the economic slowdown in energy-intensive industries and the increased import of electricity from abroad," explained the authority.

The amount of electricity imported into Germany grew by 78.1% to 23.1 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter. Denmark, France and the Netherlands were among the most important exporting countries. At the same time, the amount of electricity exported fell by some 38% to 9.9 billion kilowatt hours.

According to the statisticians, renewable sources predominate in domestically generated electricity. In the third quarter, electricity generation from renewable energies rose by some 8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, accounting for 60.2% of the total electricity generated - significantly more than a year earlier, when it was 44.4%.

In contrast, generation from conventional energy sources fell by 42.9% and accounted for almost 40% of total electricity generation.

Electricity generation from wind power rose by some 16% in the third quarter and was the most important energy source in domestic electricity generation, accounting for just under a quarter.

The feed-in of electricity from photovoltaics increased by 6.6%, accounting for a share of 21.5%. The feed-in of electricity generated from natural gas rose by some 10%.

In contrast, the amount of electricity generated in coal-fired power plants fell by almost half, or 47.3%, and still accounted for 23.9%. In the same period of the previous year, coal-fired electricity accounted for some 36% of domestic electricity generation and was the most important energy source in electricity generation in 2022 as a whole.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

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