Wind produces over a third of Germany’s electricity in March, setting new record

Germany covered over one third of its entire net electricity production in March with wind power alone, setting a new record for the renewable energy source’s share in the country’s power mix. Onshore and offshore turbines together produced more than 16 Terrawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity since 1 March, bringing wind’s share to 35 percent of total power production, while renewables together accounted for 55 percent, the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) said in a press release. Meanwhile, power production from hard coal and lignite (brown coal) together accounted for less than 11 TWh in the month and nuclear power for a little over 6 TWh. On some days, wind even contributed about 70 percent to the German power mix, the BWE said. “It is worth noting that grid operators had no problems integrating the renewables share of 55 percent into the system,” BWE head Hermann Albers said.

Germany’s government wants to bring the share of renewables in the country’s power consumption to an annual average of 65 percent by 2030, while simultaneously carrying 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.