Primary energy use in Germany drops to new low in 2024, renewables cover 20%

Primary energy consumption in Germany dropped to a new low in 2024 amid warmer weather, a continued weakness of the country’s economy, and ongoing efficiency gains, the Federation of German Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) said in its annual report. Primary energy consumption dropped 1.3 percent to 10,478 petajoule (PJ), almost 30 percent less than in 1990 and similar to the demand in only West Germany in the early 1970s. Renewable energy sources contributed 20 percent to primary energy consumption.

Hard coal and lignite consumption in power plants fell by 12.5 and 10.6 percent respectively, compared to 2023. This was a result of the continued coal phase out, the overall decrease in electricity generation, and an increase in electricity production from renewables, said energy data service AG Energiebilanzen (AGEB), who also presented the year's preliminary calculations. The drop in coal use helped to cut the energy sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by nine percent since 2023, bringing the reduction in the sector since 1990 to 60 percent, BDEW said.

Renewables reached a new record share in power production of 55 percent this year, two percentage points more than one year ago, according to the BDEW. Wind power remained the largest renewable source despite weak wind conditions – especially in the last quarter of the year – reducing its output by three percent.  This drop in output was more than compensated for by the massive expansion of Germany’s solar power capacity in 2024. “A very welcome fact is that renewables by now almost continuously cover more than half of the power demand,” said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae.

Germany was again set to have a negative electricity trading balance, especially with France and the Nordic countries. Compared to 2023, customers paid less for electricity and gas but still more than before the energy crisis. Lower prices were likely to have triggered the higher gas use of three percent, with industrial demand picking up again from a very low initial level. Norway firmly replaced Russia as Germany’s most important pipeline gas supplier, while most of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) used by the country in 2024 came from the U.S., the group said.