Germany's renewable power share declines slightly to 42% in 2021 – preliminary data

Renewable energy made up approximately 42 percent of the electricity consumed in Germany in 2021, according to preliminary calculations by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW). The share is lower than in 2020, when renewables covered nearly 46 percent of electricity consumption. Power generation varies throughout the year due to the seasons and changing weather conditions, which contributed significantly to the decline in the renewables share in 2021. While solar electricity generation increased by almost 5 percent in 2021, wind power was significantly lower in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2020. In addition, as a result of the economic recovery, electricity consumption rose again in 2021, which also had a dampening effect on the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption. Germany is aiming for an 80 percent renewables share by 2030, but reaching that goal won’t be easy, especially since electricity consumption is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae. “In order to achieve the ambitious goals, the new federal government must promptly remove existing obstacles and restrictions for the expansion of renewables and implement the measures announced in the coalition agreement as quickly as possible,” she added.

Among those measures are the acceleration of planning and approval procedures; the provision of 2 percent of federal land for wind turbines; the timely designation of additional areas for offshore wind farms; the removal of bureaucratic hurdles for the expansion of photovoltaic systems; and the conversion and expansion of the power grid. Fellow industry representatives have similarly called for the removal of bureaucratic hurdles in order to rapidly expand renewables and accelerate the adoption of power purchase agreements (PPAs).