Renewables produce 32.5% of Germany's power in H1 2015

Renewable power plants in Germany generated 32.5% of the country’s electricity in the first half of 2015, mainly thanks to wind power capacity additions, the Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) said Tuesday.

Germany has witnessed strong growth in onshore wind, but at the same time there is a notable decline in solar photovoltaic (PV) and biogas installations, commented BEE head Hermann Falk. Even the low annual targets set by the government have been missed. Falk called for more ambitious goals for Germany’s clean energy transition.

According to statistics by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Germany's wind power capacity grew by 5.28 GW in 2014 to a total 39.17 GW. It installed just 1.9 GW of solar capacity last year, as compared to 3.3 GW in 2013.

BEE also pointed to the weak renewables share growth in the heating and transportation segments. Less than 11% of Germany’s heat came from green energy sources in the first six months of 2015.

Renewables accounted for a bit over 14% of Germany’s final energy consumption in the period under review, according to BEE calculations. The country’s goal is to bring that share to 18% by the end of the decade, under the EU’s 20-20-20 targets.

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