German coal power generation drops by one fifth in first quarter of 2019

Germany’s coal plants produced 19 percent less electricity in the first three months of 2019 than over the same period in the previous year, says German energy industry association BDEW in a press release. Strong winds at the beginning of this year, especially in March, led to an increase of renewable power generation of 16 percent over the first quarter in 2018.

German power production from renewables has steadily increased over the past decades. It reached a record share of 38 percent of gross power consumption in 2018. Germany aims to cover 65 percent of its power demand by 2030 with renewable energy sources. On Easter Monday 2019, power production from renewable sources in Germany hit a new record high when renewable installations such as wind and solar PV generated 77 percent of net public electricity supply thanks to strong winds and abundant sunshine.