Germany Producing Enough Renewable Energy In 6 Months To Power its Households For A Year
With the year sliding into July and the years first half behind us, one country is producing enough renewable energy to power every household in its nation for an entire year. Perhaps not surprisingly, considering its early push into, and sterling record on renewables until recently, is Germany.
Germany hit a record-breaking 104 billion Kwh of renewable energy production between January and the end of June. With wind making up 55 billion Kwh of the total energy, solar was at 21billion Kwh, 20 billion Kwh of biomass and 8 billion Kwh of hydroelectric energy. While impressive in itself, the sheer breadth of renewable sources and the significant contribution of each is what makes those numbers even more impressive.
“This shows how renewables become increasingly important for our energy supply,” said Victoria Ossadnik, head of Munich-based Eon Energie Deutschland to a leading international newspaper.
As per the energy firm the supply would be enough to power every household in the country, which consumes an average of 2500 kWh.
It is the first time the country’s renewable energy supply has topped 100 billion kWh in six months.
The highest amount of renewable energy was generated when Cyclone Burglind hit Europe. Powerful winds accounted for most of the 1.1 billion kWh energy generated, which was more than 71% of the country’s electricity consumption that day.
In 2017 36% of the country’s electricity was generated via renewable sources. With Germany aiming to phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022; this news showcases its progress in the right direction. However, it is important to keep in mind that most of the wind energy generated was due to cyclonic activities. Having said that, the country’s renewable energy sector has been rising steadily over the last two decades due to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which was reformed last year to cut costs for consumers.
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