Status: 14.12.2021 12:25 p.m.
The share of renewable energies in electricity generation fell further between July and September. Natural gas also lost its importance. The most important energy source for generating electricity was coal.
The most important energy source for electricity generation in Germany is coal: In the months from July to September, the amount of electricity generated from coal rose by 22.5 percent compared to the same period in the previous year, according to the Federal Statistical Office. According to this, 31.9 percent of the amount of electricity fed into the grid was generated in coal-fired power plants. In the first half of 2021, this proportion was 27.1 percent.
In contrast, the proportion of electricity generated from natural gas has decreased significantly. Above all, the sharp rise in the price of natural gas led to a significant decline in electricity generation with this fuel: The share of the electricity mix fell in the third quarter by 5.7 percentage points compared to the same period of the previous year to only 8.7 percent. According to the information, this was the lowest quarterly value since summer 2018.
More fossil fuels
The proportion of conventional energy sources totaled 56.9 percent. Despite all efforts for the energy turnaround, coal, nuclear power and gas are still the most important energy sources for electricity production in Germany. Compared to the same period in the previous year, the proportion even increased by 0.8 percentage points, according to the statisticians.
In the first half of 2020, almost 52 percent of electricity in Germany came from renewable energy sources. But already in the first half of 2021 the share was only 44 percent and fell further in the third quarter: The amount of electricity generated with wind power fell by two percent between July and September compared to the same period in the previous year, and that from photovoltaics by 2.8 percent. Wind power is still the second most important source of energy and contributed 16.6 percent to electricity generation in the third quarter.
Electricity imports are increasing
The proportion of electricity imported from abroad has also increased significantly: the volume rose by 13.6 percent compared to the previous year, with imports from France more than doubling. But electricity exports also grew, by 8.9 percent. Overall, according to statistics, Germany continued to export significantly more electricity than it imported.