A wind turbine in front of a picturesque sky: Wind energy is becoming increasingly important in Germany © Federico Gambarini / dpa
After a long break, wind power has once again made it to first place among electricity suppliers in Germany. Economics Minister Habeck wants to double the energy from wind power.
Wiesbaden – At the beginning of the year, wind power was the most important source of electricity in Germany. In the first quarter, renewable energy surpassed coal, which accounted for 32.2 percent, with a total generation share of 30.0 percent. Most recently, wind power was the largest source of energy in the second quarter of 2020, as the Federal Statistical Office reported on Wednesday.
However, conventional energy sources, including coal, gas and nuclear energy, still accounted for more than half of Germany's electricity production at 51.4 percent. Renewable energy sources such as wind, hydropower, photovoltaics and biogas reached 48.6 percent in the first three months of the year.
Share of wind power on the rise – natural gas also up
With total electricity generation falling by 7.8 percent to 132.8 billion kilowatt hours, nuclear power fell significantly by 32.7 percent even before the shutdown of the last three German nuclear power plants on April 15. Electricity production from coal also fell sharply by 12.1 percent compared to the same quarter last year, while wind power weakened by only 0.7 percent. The feed-in of natural gas, on the other hand, rose slightly by 2.4 percent and reached a share of 14.6 percent.
In a year-on-year comparison, the amount of electricity exported from Germany fell by 9.8 percent to 21.3 billion kilowatt hours. At the same time, imports rose by 15.2 percent to 12.1 billion kilowatt hours.
German government wants to double wind power by 2030
Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Robert Habeck (Greens) has big plans for wind power: The federal government's goal of doubling energy from wind power by 2030 is ambitious for him, but realistic. "That is achievable," said the Green politician on Tuesday in North Rhine-Westphalia. After all, new plants are more efficient and larger, he says. However, there is also a need for faster approval procedures and more space for wind turbines.
A mega wind farm in the North Sea could help: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) signed an agreement with several other countries to expand wind power on the water. (AFP/dpa/lf)