The percentage of sustainable energy sources is falling in Germany
There is a lot going on in the energy market in the next 10 years. At the end of 2022, after many years, Germany will completely phase out nuclear power [1], no later than December 31, 2022, the last reactors in the Federal Republic will be switched off forever. If we go another 8 years into the year 2030, then ideally all coal-fired power plants will be shut down [2].
It should be clear to many that a good alternative is needed. Germany has set itself ambitious goals and would like to consistently promote the generation of electricity from solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants. In 2020, 50 percent of the energy required in this country came from sustainable sources, but unfortunately this proportion has fallen for 2021.
Reports from Fraunhofer ISE suggest that in the past year “only” 46 percent of the energy requirement could be covered from sustainable energy sources. Although the yield from solar systems increased by around 0.7 terawatt hours, at the same time production from wind turbines fell significantly, in 2021 almost 16.1 terawatt hours less were generated.
And what happens if sustainable energy sources do not generate enough electricity? You turn on coal-fired power plants. As a result, energy generation from lignite, for example, increased and took second place with 99.1 terawatt hours. Nuclear power plants accounted for 65.4 terawatt hours and thus accounted for around 13.3 percent of the power grid. However, as mentioned at the beginning, this support will no longer be available by 2023 at the latest.
Gas only accounts for a small proportion of electricity production, one reason being that the prices of the raw material have skyrocketed in recent months. The results make it clear that the federal government still has a lot to do to phase out coal.
Because if the last coal piles die out in 2030, a meager yield from solar and wind power could cause an unstable power grid. An import of energy from foreign coal or nuclear power plants would then be necessary and would completely destroy the currently pursued strategy.
Via Electrek
