Renewable power share in Germany exceeds 60% in H1

Electricity generation from renewable sources in Germany accounted for 61.5% of total domestic electricity production in the first six months of 2024, marking the highest half-year share since data collection began in 2018, the Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, said.

Based on preliminary data, renewable electricity production rose by 9.1% on the year to 135.2 billion kWh in the first half of 2024.

The strongest contribution came from wind power facilities which generated 73.4 billion kWh, up by 11.9% in annual terms. The growth was attributed to an exceptionally windy first half of 2024, Destatis said. Overall, wind power accounted for one-third of domestic electricity production, making it the most important energy source during the period.

In contrast to renewable energy, electricity generation from conventional energy sources dropped by 21.8% on the year, making up 38.5% of domestic electricity production. The decrease came as energy from coal-fired power plants fell by 26.4% compared to the same period last year. Coal, however, remained the second most important energy source in Germany, accounting for 20.9% of total electricity production.

In total, Germany generated and fed 220 billion kWh of electricity into the grid in the first half of 2024, which corresponds to a 5.3% decrease in annual terms.

In the period under review, electricity imports rose by 22.5% to 37.5 billion kWh. In contrast, exports decreased by 15.2% to 27.7 billion kWh. As a result, 35.6% more electricity was imported from abroad than exported.

The table below provides details on Germany's electricity generation, based on preliminary figures:

H1 2023

(in billion kWh)

H1 2024

(in billion kWh

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