KEY POINTS
- Renewable energy accounted for a record 62.7 percent in 2024.
- Coal-fired electricity dropped significantly while nuclear power ended.
- Carbon emissions from electricity generation hit historic lows.
In 2024, Germany’s push to an energy transition was remarkable establishing a new record of an average 62.7 percent of the nation’s net electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
It installed 72.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of solar energy, powered by photovoltaics installed; the growth rate outpaced government expansion goals.
Wind power continued to lead as the most significant energy source, providing 136.4 TWh and representing 33 percent of the nation’s electricity.
An analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) presents these facts and demonstrates how Germany is getting closer to the green energy target.
Decline in coal and the end of nuclear power
Coal-fired electricity production reduced in 2024. Lignite generation reduced to 71.1 TWh, down by 8.4 percent, and hard coal generation reduced sharply by 27.6 percent to 24.2 TWh.
2024 was the first full year since 1962 that Germany did not produce electricity from nuclear power. The country’s last nuclear plants were decommissioned in 2023, ending a decades-long reliance on nuclear energy.
According to Deutschland, nuclear power accounted for 6.3 percent of Germany’s electricity in their final year. This gap has been effectively filled by renewable energy expansion.
Carbon emissions reach record lows
The shift from fossil fuels to renewables resulted in a historic reduction in carbon emissions. Emissions from electricity generation in Germany dropped by 58 Percent since records began in 1990 and by half compared to 2014 levels.
All these developments bring out the fact that Germany is keen to fight climate change through the use of sustainable energy systems.
With renewables taking the lead and emissions hitting record lows, Germany continues to set an example in the global fight against carbon pollution.
