Wind overtakes lignite as Germany's primary power source for the first time in 2019
Clean Energy Wire
Wind energy will be Germany's most important power source in 2019, overtaking lignite for the first time, said the German Wind Energy Association (BWE). With 118 terawatt hours (TWh), wind also reached a new record in total electricity production. The sector earned this record because it has "repeatedly demonstrated its innovative strength and entrepreneurial spirit over the past 20 years, and to the EEG (renewables levy), which provided the right investment incentives to develop wind energy in Germany into a worldwide cutting-edge technology," said Hermann Albers, president of BWE. The new numbers should, however, not conceal the fact that the industry is currently in a "serious crisis", he added.
Wind power expansion in Germany is experiencing its most difficult phase in nearly two decades, with the number of new turbines falling to unprecedently low levels. Consequently, Germany has received the worst rating of any wind power market in a survey among more than 5,000 industry experts worldwide, published by industry expo Wind Energy Hamburg.
