Coal Casts Cloud Over Germany’s Energy Revolution
The energy market in Germany saw a spectacular change last year as renewable energy became the major source of its electricity supply—leaving lignite, coal and nuclear behind.
But researchers calculate that, allowing for the mild winter of 2014, the cut in fossil fuel use in energy production meant CO2 emissions fell by only 1%.
Wind, solar, hydropower and biomass reached a new record, producing 27.3% (157bn kilowatt hours) of Germany’s total electricity and overtaking lignite (156bn kWh), according to AGEB, a joint association of energy companies and research institutes.
This was an achievement that many energy experts could not have imagined just a few years ago.
Lowest level
Beyond that, Germany’s primary energy consumption—which includes the energy used in power generation, heating and transport—fell to its lowest level since reunification with East Germany in 1990, AGEB reports. It shrank by 4.8% compared with 2013.
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