Renewable energy is expected to account for 32% of Germany’s electricity consumption in 2016 on track for the government’s target of 35% by 2020, according to new research.
The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wurttemberg and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries expect some 191bn kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power will have been produced by the end of the year.
In 2015, 187bn kWh made up 31.5% of the country’s electricity production, the organisations said.
The partners said offshore wind farms will have produced 13bn kWh by the end of the year, up 57% on the 8.3bn kWh hours last year.
Onshore wind supply is expected to decline by 6% to 67bn kWh, despite the addition of new installations, because of unusually low wind conditions.
Solar photovoltaics is projected to account for 38bn kWh, down from 38.7bn kWh in 2015.
Hydro is expected to produce 22bn kWh, an increase of 13% on last year’s 19bn kWh, while the figure for bio is 52bn kWh, 3% more than the 50.4bn kWh in 2015.
Geothermal installations exported 200 million kWh, up 12%, according to the research.
Image: BayWa
