Germany’s power sector emissions dropped to their lowest level in 70 years in 2023 and passed the 50% threshold for renewable electricity production for the first time, partly attributed to falling industrial production, casting doubt on the country’s performance.
By 2035, Germany wants to establish a carbon-neutral power system, concluding a journey that started in 2004 when the country began subsidising renewables.
New data shows that 2023 was the journey’s halfway point in many ways. “If you look at the total net electricity generation here, we had a share of renewable energies of 54.9%,” explained Bruno Burger, a German Fraunhofer ISE institute power expert, on Monday 8 January.
Wind, water, sun and biomass produced 268 Terawatt hours (TWh), according to the Berlin-based think-tank Agora Energiewende.
After a bumper year for solar panels, which saw more than 14 GW of capacity added, 2023 was the first in German history…
