Close Menu
  • Featured
    • News
    • Consumption
    • Environment
    • Industry
    • Opinion
    • Policy
    • Production
    • Storage
    • Transmission
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of a groundbreaking development in solar technology with stabilized perovskite cells. Image generated by AI.
“These Scientists Just Solved Solar’s Biggest Problem”: China Unveils Breakthrough Material That Eliminates the Main Flaw in Perovskite Solar Technology
Illustration of Google's partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for nuclear fusion energy. Image generated by AI.
“These Are Google’s Boldest Moves Yet”: Tech Giant Secures 200 Megawatts From the World’s First Operational Nuclear Fusion Plant, Redefining Clean Power
Illustration of non-toxic organic solar cells achieving 20% efficiency. Image generated by AI.
“These Panels Stun the World”: China’s Non-Toxic Organic Solar Cells Smash Records With Astonishing 20% Efficiency and Eco-Friendly Performance
Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube TikTok
Energy Reporters
Facebook X (Twitter) RSS
Subscribe
  • Featured
  • News
    Illustration of the groundbreaking Penn State research challenging Kirchhoff's Law in energy efficiency. Image generated by AI.

    “These Scientists Just Broke the Unbreakable”: US Researchers Smash a 165-Year-Old Physics Law, Unlocking Astonishing New Pathways for Energy Breakthroughs

    July 7, 2025 at 6:53 AM
    Illustration of the DOME test bed at Idaho's National Reactor Innovation Center for microreactor experiments. Image generated by AI.

    “This Is Trump’s Nuclear Legacy Unleashed”: DOME Facility Secures Approval, Paving the Way for Bold Microreactor Testing and Accelerated US Innovation

    July 7, 2025 at 5:54 AM
    Illustration of a groundbreaking fuel cell developed by West Virginia University that generates power, stores energy, and produces hydrogen. Image generated by AI.

    “This Changes Everything Overnight”: New US Fuel Cell Simultaneously Generates Power, Stores Massive Energy, and Delivers Clean Hydrogen Without Compromise

    July 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
    Illustration of the TerraPower Natrium advanced reactor project in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Image generated by AI.

    “America Moves at Lightning Speed”: Federal Authorities Greenlight Fast-Track Permit for Groundbreaking 345 MW Nuclear Reactor Construction in Record Time

    July 5, 2025 at 8:59 AM

    Winter Storm Paralyzes the South, Disrupts Travel and Power

    January 11, 2025 at 11:41 AM
  • Use

    Trump’s Energy Policy: A Complicated Road Ahead

    December 24, 2024 at 3:28 PM

    World’s First Grid-Scale Nuclear Fusion Plant to Be Built in Virginia

    December 23, 2024 at 2:57 PM

    How West Africa can expand power supply and meet climate goals

    June 15, 2020 at 6:33 AM

    Saudi Aramco shares tumble amid price war 

    March 10, 2020 at 1:18 AM

    Generator supplier eyes renewables move

    March 5, 2020 at 5:36 AM
  • Climate
    Illustration of a groundbreaking development in solar technology with stabilized perovskite cells. Image generated by AI.

    “These Scientists Just Solved Solar’s Biggest Problem”: China Unveils Breakthrough Material That Eliminates the Main Flaw in Perovskite Solar Technology

    July 8, 2025 at 9:03 AM
    Illustration of Google's partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for nuclear fusion energy. Image generated by AI.

    “These Are Google’s Boldest Moves Yet”: Tech Giant Secures 200 Megawatts From the World’s First Operational Nuclear Fusion Plant, Redefining Clean Power

    July 8, 2025 at 8:12 AM
    Illustration of non-toxic organic solar cells achieving 20% efficiency. Image generated by AI.

    “These Panels Stun the World”: China’s Non-Toxic Organic Solar Cells Smash Records With Astonishing 20% Efficiency and Eco-Friendly Performance

    July 8, 2025 at 7:08 AM
    Illustration of a water-only method for extracting rare earth elements. Image generated by AI.

    “These Scientists Defied All Expectations”: Breakthrough Water-Only Process Purifies Rare Earth Elements, Slashing Toxic Waste and Redefining Global Supply Chains

    July 8, 2025 at 5:57 AM
    Illustration of the world's largest impulse turbine at the Datang Zala Hydropower Station. Image generated by AI.

    “These Giants Will Rewrite History”: China Reveals World’s Largest Hydropower Turbine Unleashing Unmatched 500-Megawatt Output in Global Energy Milestone

    July 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
  • Industry
    Illustration of Westinghouse's role in the assembly of the ITER fusion reactor core. Image generated by AI.

    “These Engineers Hold the Future in Their Hands”: Westinghouse Begins Assembling the Heart of the World’s Largest and Most Powerful Fusion Reactor

    July 7, 2025 at 8:57 AM
    Illustration of the world's first integrated hydrogen production simulator within a Small Modular Reactor control room. Image generated by AI.

    “This Reactor Is a Game-Changer for America”: US Launches World’s First Nuclear Plant Producing Hydrogen, Triggering a New Era in Clean Energy

    July 7, 2025 at 7:49 AM

    Oil Prices Spike Following US Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites

    June 22, 2025 at 4:50 AM

    Aflac Cyberattack: Insurance Giant Breached in Industry-Wide Hacking Spree

    June 20, 2025 at 6:10 PM

    Tariffs Leave Small Businesses Struggling Amid Policy Chaos

    June 1, 2025 at 4:27 PM
  • Opinion

    Pulling back the curtain on Turkey’s natural gas strategy

    September 1, 2020 at 5:59 AM

    How West Africa can expand power supply and meet climate goals

    June 15, 2020 at 6:33 AM

    Review: Oil and the Great Powers: Britain and Germany, 1914 to 1945

    June 9, 2020 at 5:40 AM

    Eastern Mediterranean gas: testing the field

    May 27, 2020 at 5:18 AM

    Energy geopolitics will hinge on the nationalism-globalism swinging door

    May 5, 2020 at 1:37 AM
  • Policy

    Trump’s Global Influence Wanes Amid Rising Foreign Policy Setbacks

    May 31, 2025 at 5:48 PM

    Glaciers in Crisis: Nearly 40% of Global Ice Mass is Already Lost

    May 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM

    iPhone Prices May Triple if Made in the U.S., Analyst Warns

    May 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM

    Labubu Craze: The Cute, Creepy Plush Toy Taking Over the World

    May 17, 2025 at 8:40 AM

    RFK Jr’s Vaccine Views Clash with Measles Outbreak Reality

    April 12, 2025 at 10:49 AM
  • Output

    Billionaire Backlash Grows Against Trump’s Aggressive Tariff Plans

    May 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM

    McDonald’s Sees Worst Sales Since 2020 Amid Uncertainty

    May 1, 2025 at 8:23 AM

    Europe’s Economic Rebound Stalls as U.S. Tariffs Cast a Shadow

    April 30, 2025 at 5:34 PM

    US and South Korea Strengthen Naval Ties with New Shipbuilding Agreement

    April 9, 2025 at 5:38 PM

    Trump Administration Plans Cuts to Key Manufacturing Grants

    April 8, 2025 at 7:38 AM
  • Storage
    Illustration of an innovative aqueous organic redox flow battery design highlighting zwitterion-modified NDI derivatives. Image generated by AI.

    “This Battery Breaks Every Rule”: Scientists Unveil Groundbreaking Water Battery That Delivers 220 Full Cycles With Zero Capacity Loss or Performance Drop

    July 6, 2025 at 3:52 PM

    European Commission launches hydrogen initiative 

    March 11, 2020 at 3:37 AM

    Wales looks to pioneer hydrogen sector

    March 5, 2020 at 5:51 AM

    Germany to unveil plans for hydrogen future 

    March 3, 2020 at 2:34 AM

    Shell joins Dutch clean hydrogen project

    March 1, 2020 at 8:50 PM
  • Grid

    Australian grid struggles with renewables boom: report

    February 24, 2020 at 5:32 AM

    Scottish eco-tariff exposes UK ‘greenwashing’ con

    February 18, 2020 at 2:31 AM

    Lukashenko attacks Russian merger demands

    February 16, 2020 at 4:53 AM

    Probe launched into UK’s Italian-made power cable

    January 29, 2020 at 8:37 PM

    Italy’s Prysmian under fire over UK interconnector failure 

    January 16, 2020 at 1:16 AM
Energy Reporters

Germany unveils renewable record

Eirwen WilliamsEirwen WilliamsDecember 22, 2017 at 6:34 AM0
Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Follow Us
Google News
Share
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Copy Link

Renewable energy has reportedly provided a third of German electricity this year, with wind energy overtaking natural gas and nuclear energy to become the third largest source.  

The god (BDEW) issued preliminary calculations for this year, with renewable generation reaching 33 per cent, up from 29 per cent last year.

The cuts were also achieved despite considerable low-hanging fruit in German power generation.

Germany still operates numerous brown-coal or lignite power stations while Agora Energiewende recently claimed up to 20 of those highly polluting plants could be closed without endangering energy supplies. “The shut down of coal power plants would not make Germany dependent on electricity imports. It would only have to reduce its electricity exports,” Agora director Patrick Graichen told Bild.

Despite the ongoing use of brown coal, considerable progress has been made.

Stefan Kapferer, BDEW chairman, said: “Renewables have already surpassed the target of 35-per-cent renewable energy in gross energy consumption set by the federal government in the energy concept for 2020. That is good news for climate protection.”

He said the changes in production had already surpassed Berlin’s targets.

“The figures show impressively that there is already an accelerated shift in power generation from CO2-intensive to low-carbon and almost CO2-free energy sources,” Kapferer said.

“The energy industry is clearly on course with regard to energy and climate targets: our industry is able to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990,” he told the media in Berlin.

The BDEW said the gap between coal and renewables in electricity production fell from 11 to under 4 percentage points this year. The share of power generated by coal dropped from 40.3 per cent in 2016 to a still substantial 37 per cent this year, according to the data.

“The reduction of coal-fired power production is in full swing”, Kapferer said. “Nobody is investing in hard-coal plants any longer”.

The Federal Network Agency reported that six coal-fired power stations were closed this year.

Politicians in Berlin were now required to invest in renewable energy generation and low-emission natural gas power, Kapferer said, to pick up the shortfall created by declining use of coal and lignite.

The BDEW boss openly criticised the transport sector, which “unfortunately makes no appropriate contribution” to carbon reduction.

He said Germany’s giant auto industry must now increase its contribution to emissions reductions and if the nation failed to meet its 2020 targets, “the main culprit” would be the transport sector.

An open coalmine in Garzweiler, Germany. Picture credit: Flickr  

Did you like it? 4.2/5 (21)

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Association of Energy and Water Industries coal Germany lignite renewables
Follow on Google News Follow on X (Twitter)
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Previous ArticleEnergy council agrees 27% renewable aim
Next Article Battery pilots claim breakthroughs 
Eirwen Williams
  • X (Twitter)

Eirwen Williams is a Brussels-based journalist at Energy Reporters, specializing in European energy policy, market trends, technological innovation, and energy security. A graduate of NYU’s Journalism Institute, he examines how nations and industries are navigating the continent’s energy transition. With a focus on the forces driving change, his reporting highlights the interplay between regulation, infrastructure, and new technologies shaping Europe’s energy future. Contact: [email protected]

Keep Reading
Illustration of a groundbreaking development in solar technology with stabilized perovskite cells. Image generated by AI.

“These Scientists Just Solved Solar’s Biggest Problem”: China Unveils Breakthrough Material That Eliminates the Main Flaw in Perovskite Solar Technology

Illustration of Google's partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for nuclear fusion energy. Image generated by AI.

“These Are Google’s Boldest Moves Yet”: Tech Giant Secures 200 Megawatts From the World’s First Operational Nuclear Fusion Plant, Redefining Clean Power

Illustration of non-toxic organic solar cells achieving 20% efficiency. Image generated by AI.

“These Panels Stun the World”: China’s Non-Toxic Organic Solar Cells Smash Records With Astonishing 20% Efficiency and Eco-Friendly Performance

Add A Comment
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of a groundbreaking development in solar technology with stabilized perovskite cells. Image generated by AI.
“These Scientists Just Solved Solar’s Biggest Problem”: China Unveils Breakthrough Material That Eliminates the Main Flaw in Perovskite Solar Technology
Illustration of Google's partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for nuclear fusion energy. Image generated by AI.
“These Are Google’s Boldest Moves Yet”: Tech Giant Secures 200 Megawatts From the World’s First Operational Nuclear Fusion Plant, Redefining Clean Power
Illustration of non-toxic organic solar cells achieving 20% efficiency. Image generated by AI.
“These Panels Stun the World”: China’s Non-Toxic Organic Solar Cells Smash Records With Astonishing 20% Efficiency and Eco-Friendly Performance
News by category
  • Featured
  • News
  • Use
  • Climate
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • Policy
  • Output
  • Storage
  • Grid
Information
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Meet the Team
  • Contact Us
  • Legal Notice
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Facebook X (Twitter) RSS
© Energy-Reporters.com. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.