Wind power leads Germany’s record renewables output in March
Clean Energy Wire
A string of windy weeks has led to a very high share of nearly two-thirds renewables in Germany’s power production mix since the beginning of March. Average net electricity production from solar power, biomass, hydro power and especially wind power amounted to 63 percent between 1 and 17 March, preliminary data compiled by research institute Fraunhofer ISE shows. With a share of over 46 percent, wind power alone, both onshore and offshore, on average contributed nearly half to the production mix. According to researcher Bruno Burger, Germany’s 30,000-odd wind turbines produced 3.6 times more electricity in that month than lignite plants or nuclear plants.
According to preliminary data compiled by think tank Agora Energiewende, renewable power production has almost matched total electricity demand on two days in March so far.
Germany’s government coalition has vowed to bring the share of renewables in the country’s power consumption to an annual average of 65 percent by 2030, as the country simultaneously carries out the dual phase-out of nuclear and coal power. Although renewables at times already covered the country’s power demand completely, the sluggish expansion of Germany’s power grid and a lack of storage capacities for electricity from renewable sources continue to make a broader reliance on wind power and other low-carbon sources difficult.
