Germany: Renewables likely to cover 33% of 2015 gross power consumption

PV Magazine

Solar plants have produced 35 billion kWh of energy in the first 10 months of 2015 – as much as was produced in the whole of last year
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According to a new figures, renewable energy is set to cover around 33% of Germany’s gross energy demands this year, or 193 billion kWh, up a fifth on 2014. PV and wind are the main contributors.

Figures from research institute, ZSW for solar energy and hydrogen, and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), indicate renewable energy will meet roughly 33% of Germany’s gross energy demand in 2015, up from 27% last year.

Led by wind and PV power, renewables are set to generate around 193 billion kWh of energy, compared to 161 billion in 2014. Despite a moderate installation rate, solar plants have produced 35 billion kWh of energy in the first 10 months of 2015 – as much as was produced in the whole of last year. Wind, meanwhile, had already generated 63 billion kWh by October 31, up around 47% on the same period in 2014.

“Regardless of the exact shares at the end of the year, it is again clear that renewable energies in Germany’s electricity mix continue to gain in importance,” commented Hildegard Müller, chairwoman of the BDEW.

She added that at the same time, the pressure to integrate renewables into the country’s overall power generation system is increasing. “The adequate configuration of the necessary structures must be pursued with urgency,” she stated, including the expansion of transmission and distribution networks.

Source: PV Magazine. Reproduced with permission.