For the first time ever, Germany created more than 20% of its electricity from renewable resources, in the first half of 2011. According to the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, their electricity demand remained stable during the first 6 months of the year, and the amount generated through renewable sources rose from 18.3% to 20.8%.
This increase gives a little extra boost to government initiatives, which are looking to produce 35% of Germany’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The country is also aiming to gradually phase out all nuclear reactors. This was announced following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, and was guided by public opinion.
The report stated wind power in Germany has increased to 20.7 billion kilowatt hours, which is approximately 7.5% total usage. Biomass accounted for 5.6%, and hydroelectric energy provided 3.3% of the country’s electricity. Photovoltaic solar usage nearly doubled, increasing by more than 76% since the beginning of 2010, the most significant increase. This generates 3.5% of electricity in Germany.
As it’s such a heavily industrialized nation, this is a ambitious step for Germany to be at the forefront of cutting dependency on non-renewable resources. Hopefully this will be an example for other countries, and encourage them to follow suit once they see the benefits Germany is receiving as a result of their ongoing environmentally-friendly changes.
Via Spiegel
Image CC licensed by sludgegulper: Wind turbines, Germany
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