Renewables

Germany Generates Record-Setting 74 Percent of Energy From Renewables

Brandon Baker | May 14, 2014 9:31 am | Comments

Germany remains one of the best examples around the world for countries, regions and communities with dreams of amping up their renewable energy generation.

The country on Sunday set a record by generating 74 percent of energy from renewable sources, according to Renewables International.

The news follows a record-setting first quarter for the country, with renewables meeting 27 percent of demand. Renewable generators produced 40.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity during this year’s first three months, compared up to 35.7 billion kilowatt-hours in the same period last year, the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries told Bloomberg.

“Once again, it was demonstrated that a modern electricity system such as the German one can already accept large penetration rates of variable but predictable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar PV power,” Bernard Chabot, a renewable energy consultant in France told Think Progress.

“In fact, there are no technical and economic obstacles to go first to 20 percent of annual electricity demand penetration rate from a combination of those two technologies, then 50 percent and beyond by combining them with other renewables and energy efficiency measures and some progressive storage solutions at a modest level.”

Photo credit: Tim Fuller/Flickr Creative Commons

Germany is still Europe’s largest clean-energy market. It wants to boost renewables to 80 percent or more by 2050.

The country set a record for its wind energy generation on Dec. 6 when it peaked at a little more than 26,000 megawatts. Generation on Christmas Eve almost broke the record again.

Germany is also home to places like Feldheim, a tiny, 150-person village that created an independent energy grid relying on renewable energy.

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Comments

Proudscalawag

Wow! Talk about ‘Deutschland Ueber Alles’!!
NeitherSide

I’m having trouble with the math in this article. It says “Germany Generates Record-Setting 74 Percent of Energy From Renewables” and then says “with renewables meeting 27 percent of demand”
If renewables met only 27% of the country’s energy demand that should mean that 73% of the demand came from other than renewables
- Darkflame
  
  Different times of the year the 27% was “first quarter” (so averaged of the first months), whereas the 73% seems to be a peak on a specific day (May 11th)
  
  Admitably the article doesn’t make it that clear.
- igrandunifier
  
  The chart is graphed over a period of 3 days. On May 11th the sum total of wind n solar at their peak of energy productions during the course of the day r 23% solar n 46% wind.
- Graham DeSolar
  
  the other 73% is probably oil used for transport fuels, and gas used for heating and cooking. however I dont live in germany and I could be wrong.
http://www.haligonianhemp.ca Cynthia Joan Morrison

Germany has been doing a great job of going Environmentally Friendly…..Congrats!
- Ted Johnson
  
  Cynthia:
  One thing to consider is that a portion of the alternative energy comes from plants burning pellets from the U.S at an astronomic price/ton. these pellets require fossil fuels to dry at an energy exchange rate less than one. So you are producing energy at a loss and using the very same fossil fuels you are suppose to replace. Does’t make sense to anyone of any knowledge. As well, we in the U.S are depleting our own forests at an alarming rate.No matter, as long as profit minded cabbage heads, all along the way reap the benefits.
  
  Ted Johnson, Energyflex Company [email protected]
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christianguthier

This is where the internet and idiots come together. Sorry to say, but you’ve fallen for someone’s misguided scam. Check the facts: “Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government approved legislation on Tuesday revamping Germany’s sweeping plan to generate more than 40 percent of its energy needs through renewable resources by 2025″ PLEASE PAY ATTENTION: “Already, 25 percent of German energy comes from renewable resources” 25 PERCENT! Not 74 percent. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/business/international/germany-moves-forward-on-renewable-energy-plan.html?_r=0
- igrandunifier
  
  25% of the total seems more reasonable at this time.
- DoRightThing
  
  There is no ‘scam’, the article was about the record peak reached, not the average.
- CAB018
  
  Maybe you should actually READ the article, instead of just the headline. It PEAKED at 74 percent!
JohnOh1

Aussie prices continue to be sore point you mean? Soar means to go sky high….

thats probably what you ignorant people meant….
JohnOh1

But Germany also has to build more coal fired power stations as base load….Due to ECO power being so unreliable…….and they have to run all the time as you cant easily shut them down…..and they export this power as well to other Euro countries, using plentiful lignite coal ….and capacity has to cover all the ECO generators capacity, due to unreliable ECO sources
- darkflame
  
  “and capacity has to cover all the ECO generators capacity, due to unreliable ECO sources”
  
  Dont be ridiculous.
  Solar energy is completely predictable as that graph shows. Your never going to have cloud cover over the WHOLE country at the same time are you? Short of solar-eclipse’s, the day night cycles are very regular. Look at that graph, practically clockwork.
  Wind is naturally less predictable, again, as the graph shows – but to have no wind over a whole country is so unlikely as to be infinitesimal.
  - Technician
    
    You have obviously never lived in Europe you ignorant person. Winter time in Europe is full of short dark days when power requirements are up, and solar power is way down. Night time? No solar power maybe a bit of unreliable windmills, (1/3 are usually down for maintenance) wind power but even the Dutch realise this when they ditched windmills. Go and have a look some time.The cost is horrendous and if you could work out the amount of solar panels you would need need to instal,l you’d know that. Of course you could always use transmission lines from sunny Spain, with the resultant losses. Solar power is nearly viable, but watch the energy companies jack up the costs involved for their shareholders. This environmental stuff is unrealistic and made up on the run. Its unviable and still uses brown lignite coal. Thats still silly, as the Chinese and Indians are building and firing up over a thousand over the course of a few short years. . Its not going to help at all IF CO2 is not the problem and it isn’t! EOS
    - darkflame
      
      I live in the Netherlands and have PV cells on my roof right now. 25 years warrantied lifespan, pay for themselves in about 8 years at current prices. 1:1 payback ration of what I put into and out of the grid, no subs.
      (Oh, and in terms of energy used to produce solar panels, they pay for themselves in 4 years or so these days).
      
      And of course you get less light in winter.
      But the idea you need to have other sources of running in case ALL the solar and wind energies stop is what I was arguing against.
      You have a baseline minimum power that is predictable when averaged over a large country, and thats what can displace fossil fuels. (more if you can store it) For the moment, no country is near that baseline potential.
      
      If you have got this impression from why Germany is still using coal, its more because they have been reducing their nuclear;
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Germany#mediaviewer/File:Electricity_Production_in_Germany.svg
      
      Hence solar/wind are simply not displacing enough of that nuclear energy.
      - darkflame
        
        I dont have time to point by point argue, but for the sake of others I will give some first hand data, from right now;
        
        This is the sky above me;
        http://s24.postimg.org/x6576s0hx/10385559_10152536799845631_8810884198101978581_n.jpg
        
        This is what I am generating;
        http://s24.postimg.org/vgw3ypksl/10492263_10152536800115631_6461988608395216751_n.jpg
        
        Thats how much is going back into the grid – it ALREADY includes subtractions for the 2 PC’s in active use, 1 fridge, 1 LIFX lightbulb and a few things (wii, notebook) on standby.
      - Technician
        
        It will never replace base load which will be operating in the background, idling away wasting coal, while you delude yourself and have a great fuzzy feeling youre doing the right thing, meanwhile your “subsidised” solar power is being paid for by who? Of course the ones without solar power. Serves them right eh? While youre using their filthy brown coal at night. Solar power will never be adequate while it cannot be stored. Forget your numbers, think logically…. Peak power is a myth if used in generated figures and wind power even more so while two out of three generators are down for maintenance.
Mat from Germany

Unfortunately, the headline is misleading and I’m happy to clarify it. In fact, on May 11 th for a few hours around noon due to favorable weather conditions and given the fairly low grid load of a Sunday, 74% of the electrical power consumed in Germany came from renewables.
During the first quarter of 2014, the average share of renewable power in German electricity demand was about 27%. Sounds great, but the dark side is that at the same time we are seeing a slight upward trend of grid GHG emissions due to the fact that more base load from lignite power plants is contracted at low prices.
- Brian Donovan
  
  Coal plants are for export. That’s where they sell their electric. Renewables have more than replaced the nuclear phase out.
  
  German is a net eletricty exports, and the xeports are coal.
darkflame

For those interested
This is the sky above me;
http://s24.postimg.org/x6576s0hx/10385559_10152536799845631_8810884198101978581_n.jpg

This is what I am generating;
http://s24.postimg.org/vgw3ypksl/10492263_10152536800115631_6461988608395216751_n.jpg

Thats how much is going back into the grid – it ALREADY includes subtractions for the 2 PC’s in active use, 1 fridge, 1 LIFX lightbulb and a few things (wii, notebook) on standby.
As long as you live in an area were your energy provider will pay you for generated power, solar panels are an insanely good investment. Just make sure you buy from a good firm – warrantys should be 20 years at 80% power or better these days.

Germany Generates Record-Setting 74 Percent of Energy From Renewables

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