Germany, the largest economy in Europe, got nearly two-thirds of its power from renewables last year, an analysis shows.
Renewables, including the burning of wood and waste for energy, supplied a record 63 percent of power on the grid last year, according to figures from Fraunhofer ISE, a solar research group.
In Germany the solar buildout continues to surpass government targets, with solar now amounting to 14 percent of power generation. Wind remains the biggest source of clean electricity, accounting for 33 percent of generation, though new wind farms are being developed more slowly than planned. Along with new renewable power plants, Germany is seeing a growth in battery storage as homeowners install batteries alongside rooftop solar panels.
As solar and wind increasingly displace coal on the power grid, emissions are dropping. Over the last decade, German power sector emissions fell by half. Still, critics say the country could be doing more to shrink its carbon footprint. In 2023, Germany shuttered its last nuclear power plant, losing a significant source of clean power. In 2024, it saw a marked uptick in the burning of natural gas for electricity.
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