In the first half of 2024, Germany produced and delivered 220 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to the grid, which is 5.3 percent less than in the first half of 2023, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
Despite this decline, electricity production from renewable energy sources increased by 9.1 percent compared to the first half of 2023. Specifically, it rose to 135.2 billion kilowatt-hours. Looking at the share of renewables in total electricity production, in 2024, it accounted for 61.5 percent, while in the first half of the previous year, the share was 53.3 percent.
At the same time, electricity production from conventional sources decreased by 21.8 percent compared to the first half of 2023, reducing the share of such energy in total electricity production to 38.5 percent.
Wind energy accounted for one-third of the electricity produced in the first half of this year. Furthermore, electricity generation from wind farms increased by 11.9 percent during the first half compared to the same period in 2023, rising from 65.5 to 73.4 billion kilowatt-hours. Solar energy also achieved good results, with an 8.3 percent increase compared to the first half of 2023, delivering 30.5 billion kilowatt-hours. With this increase, solar energy accounted for 13.8 percent of the total electricity supply.
The increase in wind energy is attributed to an exceptionally windy period, while the rise in solar energy results from the expansion of new facilities.
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Conventional energy sources
Despite the decline in electricity production from conventional sources, coal remains the second most important source, even though it decreased by more than a quarter. Specifically, the amount of electricity produced in coal-fired power plants decreased by 26.4 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Its share remains 20.9 percent of total electricity production. During the first half of 2024, coal generated 45.9 billion kilowatt-hours, the lowest amount recorded in a six-month period since data tracking began in 2018.
Electricity generation from natural gas also decreased in the first half of this year, by 1.8 percent compared to the same period in 2023. With a 14.6 percent share of total production, natural gas ranks third among the most important sources.
It is noted that the statistics cover all power plants and facilities in Germany that deliver electricity to the public grid. On the other hand, the data does not include electricity produced in industrial facilities and immediately consumed within the industry, nor electricity generated by residential solar systems that is used directly in households.
Energy Portal
