Germany, Europe’s largest economy, is aiming to generate 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Additionally, Germany is currently in the process of abandoning nuclear power by 2022 and is making plans for a long-term exit from the use of coal. This change signifies progress for Europe as a whole.
According to a research from the Fraunhofer Organization of Applied Science, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and biomass energy generated 275.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2024 which accounted for 62.7 of total electricity generation in the country.
The share of green energy in Germany’s power production has steadily risen from 19.1 percent in 2010 to 38.2 percent in 2017 to 62.7 in 2024. Skeptics of green power say that this output reflects exceptional weather patterns in the country this year and does not prove the contribution of the sector to secure energy supplies.
Due to an extensive and hot summer, solar power increased to 59.5 TWh, an increase of 10.4 percent. Installed solar capacity increased to 100 GW in 2024 due to the deployment of 16.2 GW during the year 2024.
Wind power is the main source of energy in the country. In 2024, the wind power sector produced 133.44 TWh from offshore capacity and combined onshore capacity of 190 GW, making up 33 percent of total German power output.
The main source of energy was domestically mined brown coal power, which made up around 20 percent. Coal plants run on hard coal contributed 13.9 percent or 75.7 TWh of the total.
