Renewable sources accounted for 56% of Germany’s electricity last year

Electricity produced from renewable sources accounted for more than half of Germany's electricity supplies, reaching 56% in 2023, according to the Federal Network Agency.
A year earlier, the figure was 47.4%.
An increase in rainfall benefited hydro-electric power plants, following droughts experienced in 2022. They generated 16.5% more energy than in the previous year.
Onshore wind farms generated 18% more electricity. With over 119 terawatt hours, the amount of wind energy produced in 2023 was the highest ever recorded, also due to more installed capacity.
Electricity supplied by solar energy, however, remained almost stable despite significantly higher capacity, mainly due to a lack of sunlight, according to the network agency.
According to the grid agency, generation from biomass and other renewable energies also declined.
Significantly less energy was generated from conventional energy sources such as coal and nuclear power.
Germany's last nuclear power plants were shut down in April.
In contrast, gas-fired power plants benefited from lower trading prices. Their energy became cheaper compared to 2022 and therefore more attractive on the electricity market.
Germany aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.