German reliance on coal, renewables grew in first half of 2022

Wind turbines in Paderborn Windpark, Germany. (Image by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons).

Germany produced over half its electricity in the first six months of the year from conventional sources, led by an increase in coal-fired power, but renewables are gaining, according to data released by the statistical office in Wiesbaden.

While 51.5% of the electricity produced from January to June came from conventional sources, down from 56.2% in the same period a year earlier, renewable energy sources reached a share of 48.5%, up from 43.8% a year ago.

The drop in conventional sources was due mainly to a shift away from natural gas and nuclear power. However, output from coal-fired plants increased by 17.2% from a year earlier, generating nearly a third of all electricity produced.

The rising share of renewable energy was driven by an increase in wind and solar power, boosted by the high number of hours of sunshine in the first six months.

(By Kristian Siedenburg)

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