Renewables Dominate Germany’s Electricity Production in Early 2024

Renewable energy sources accounted for 58.4 percent of all electricity produced in Germany during the first three months of this year, setting a new record since such statistics began in 2018. This surge marks an 11.6 percent annual increase, with renewables producing 121.5 billion kilowatt hours.

Conventional electricity production saw a significant decline, decreasing by 25.4 percent and representing only 41.6 percent of national power generation. Wind power led the renewable charge, increasing by five billion kilowatt hours, or 12 percent, to account for 38.5 percent of Germany’s electricity. Solar power production also rose sharply, up by 1.4 billion kilowatt hours (+21 percent), and made up 6.6 percent of the national total.

“Never before has so much renewably generated energy been produced and fed into the grid in Germany,” said Thomas Grigoleit, Director of Energy, Building, and Environmental Technologies at Germany Trade & Invest. “Almost 60 percent climate-friendly electricity shows that the expansion of wind and solar capacities continues to bear fruit and that Germany is on the way toward climate neutrality.”

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), a government agency under the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Change, facilitates international business operations in Germany and supports German companies abroad. Grigoleit emphasized that this record underscores Germany’s commitment to expanding renewable energy and achieving its climate goals.

As Germany continues to push for climate neutrality, the robust performance of renewable energy in the first quarter of 2023 reflects the country’s significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint and transitioning to a more sustainable energy system.