Renewables Meet Half of Germany’s Q1 Electricity Demand

In the first quarter of 2023, renewable energy sources in Germany generated around 69 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, accounting for about 50% of the country’s electricity consumption during the period. This is shown by preliminary calculations by the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW).

Onshore wind turbines alone produced 38 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, supplying more than a quarter of the country’s electricity demand. However, the decline in electricity consumption due to the pandemic also contributed to the increase in the share of renewables.

Despite the progress made, the Chair of the BDEW Executive Board, Kerstin Andreae, stated that much more green electricity is needed to meet climate goals. The federal government has already taken several measures to promote green energy, and there is a need for faster planning and approval procedures, network expansion and conversion, and a market for hydrogen. The goal of building 120 GW offshore capacity in the North Sea by 2030 was formulated at a recent summit of eight countries, but domestic production capacities in the industry for key technologies of the energy transition in Europe, including photovoltaics, wind energy, battery and hydrogen technologies, must also be developed.

In the first quarter of 2023, gross electricity generation in Germany was 148 billion kilowatt hours, 8% less than the same period of the previous year. A total of 69 billion kilowatt hours of electricity was generated from renewable sources, and 78 billion kilowatt hours were generated from conventional energy sources. The share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption in the first quarter of 2023 was around 50%, while the share of renewable energies in gross electricity generation was approximately 47%.