In 2023, renewables had a record share of total net public electricity production in Germany, amounting to 59.7%. The share of renewable energy in the load (mix of electricity from the socket) was 57.1%. The capacity of newly installed photovoltaic energy was in double digits for the first time at around 14 gigawatts in 2023. This significantly exceeded the German government’s statutory climate protection target. This is the result of an analysis presented by the Fraunhofer Institute ISE.
- In 2023, wind power was again the most important source of electricity, contributing 139.8 terawatt hours (TWh), or 32%, of electricity production on the German public grid. This was 14.1% more than last year’s production (2022).
- The capacity of newly installed photovoltaic energy was in double digits for the first time at around 14 gigawatts in 2023. This significantly exceeded the German government’s statutory climate protection target.
- However, production from lignite (minus 27%) and hard coal (minus 35%) dropped significantly in the German states in 2023.
New records in 2023 were also set in wind and solar energy in Germany. However, production from lignite (minus 27%) and hard coal (minus 35%) dropped significantly in the German states.
Wind turbines produced the most electricity in Germany in 2023.
In 2023, wind power was again the most important source of electricity, contributing 139.8 terawatt hours (TWh), or 32%, of electricity production on the German public grid. This was 14.1% more than last year’s production (2022). The share of onshore wind energy increased to 115.3 TWh (2022: 99 TWh), while offshore production decreased slightly to 23.5 TWh (2022: 24.75 TWh).
Interestingly, the development of wind energy still lags behind that planned and expected by the German government. By November 2023, only 2.7 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind power had been newly installed, compared to the planned 4 GW.
The development of offshore wind farms is even slower in Germany. In 2023, only 0.23 GW of offshore wind capacity was newly installed compared to the planned 0.7 GW, due to the required tenders and long construction time.
In June 2023, a record was broken for energy production from photovoltaics in Germany
In 2023, photovoltaic systems produced approximately 59.9 TWh of electricity, of which 53.5 TWh went to the public grid and 6.4 TWh was used for own needs. In June 2023, 9 TWh was produced, which is the highest monthly solar energy production in Germany’s history.
The maximum solar power of 40.1 GW was reached on July 7 at 1:15 p.m., corresponding to 68% of the electricity generated. In 2023, the development of photovoltaic capacity significantly exceeded the targets set by the German government: instead of the planned 9 gigawatts, 13.2 gigawatts of photovoltaics were installed by November.
The final figure for new solar installations in 2023 is expected to be over 14 gigawatts. This represents a sharp increase compared to 2022 (7.44 GW) and is the first time that photovoltaic development in Germany has recorded double-digit growth.
The share of hydropower in electricity production in Germany has also increased
The share of hydropower increased compared to 2022 from 17.5 TWh to 20.5 TWh. However, the installed capacity of 4.94 GW did not change compared to previous years. Biomass remained at the level from 2022 and amounted to 42.3 TWh (42.2 TWh). The installed capacity of biomass is 9 GW.
How much more renewable energy was produced in Germany in 2023?
In total, renewable energy sources produced approximately 260 TWh in 2023, approximately 7.2% more than in the previous year (242 TWh). The share of renewable energy generated in Germany in the load, i.e. the mix of electricity drawn from the socket, was 57.1% compared to 50.2% in 2022.
In addition to electricity production on the public grid, the total net electricity production also includes – residential generation by industry and commerce, which is mainly produced using gas.
The share of renewable energy in total net electricity production, including power plants operated by “manufacturing, mining and quarrying sector establishments”, will be approximately 54.9% in 2023 compared to 48.2% in 2022.
The load on the electricity grid in Germany is decreasing
The load on the power grid was 457 TWh, approximately 26 TWh less than in 2022. High electricity prices and higher outdoor temperatures have likely resulted in significant electricity savings.
The increase in self-consumption of solar energy has also reduced the load on the grid. The load includes electricity consumption and network losses, but excludes energy consumption from pumped storage plants and self-consumption in conventional power plants.
A sharp decline in coal-fired electricity production in Germany
After increasing the production of coal-fired power plants in Germany in 2022 due to downtime of French nuclear power plants and disruptions in the electricity market caused by the war in Ukraine, their share in electricity production in 2023 decreased significantly. export of coal energy with favorable wind conditions this year, electricity production in coal-fired power plants in November 2023 was 27% lower than in November 2022.
Overall, lignite production for net public electricity consumption decreased by approximately 27%, from 105.9 TWh to 77.5 TWh. In addition, there is an additional 3.7 TWh for own industrial consumption. Gross electricity production fell to 1963 levels.
Net production from coal-fired power plants for public electricity consumption amounted to 36.1 TWh (minus 35%) and 0.7 TWh for the industry’s own needs, i.e. 21.4 TWh less than in 2022.
Gross electricity production fell to 1955 levels. the use of natural gas for electricity generation remained slightly below the level of the previous year and amounted to 45.8 TWh in public electricity supply and 29.6 TWh in industrial consumption.
Due to the closure of the last three nuclear power plants in Germany (Emsland, Neckarwestheim and Isar) on April 15, 2023, nuclear power contributed only 6.72 TWh to electricity production, which is 1.5%. share.
Energy storage is developing very rapidly in Germany
With the development of variable renewable power plants, the need to expand the network and storage capacity also increases. Energy storage systems that are distributed to buffer wind and solar energy generation are particularly well suited for this application.
The German household segment and the photovoltaic systems segment are developing strongly.
Overall, the installed capacity of energy storage almost doubled, from 4.4 GW in 2022 to 7.6 GW in 2023 in Germany. In turn, the storage capacity increased from 6.5 GWh to 11.2 GWh. The installed capacity of German pumped storage plants is approximately 6 GW.
