Germany, Britain set new records for renewable energy production
Britain and Germany produced their cleanest electricity on record last year, with renewables reaching record highs, according to data released Thursday.
Renewable energy like wind and solar accounted for 59 per cent of production in Germany, while in Britain it stood at 45 per cent, the data showed.
In Germany, where 2024 marked the first year without nuclear energy, the share of renewables increased to 59 per cent from 56 per cent the previous year, the country’s energy regulator said in a statement.
Wind power retained its place as the nation’s main electricity producer at 31.9 per cent of the total, while the share of coal continued to decrease to less than 23 per cent from 26 per cent in 2023, it said.
The share of natural gas increased to 13.2 per cent of the total, up from 8.6 per cent.
Germany aims to have renewables make up 80 per cent of its energy supplies by 2030 and to phase out coal by 2035.
Overall, Germany produced 431.7 TWh of electricity in 2024, a decrease of 4.2 per cent compared with the previous year.
Imports increased to 13.8 per cent, while exports declined to 10 per cent.
– No more coal –
In Britain, oil, gas and coal together produced 29 percent of the UK’s electricity in 2024 while renewables made up 45 percent, according to a report Thursday from the climate and energy website Carbon Brief.
Britain’s last coal-fired power station closed in October, making the country the first G7 member to end its reliance on fossil fuels for electricity.
The Labour government followed this up in November with plans to ban new coal mines.
Carbon Brief added that nuclear energy was used to produce 13 per cent of Britain’s electricity last year. A total 11 per cent of Britain’s electricity was imported.
Gas-fired power stations remained Britain’s single-largest source of electricity in 2024, the analysis found.
However, Carbon Brief forecast that the country’s wind power would likely generate more electricity than gas this year.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has pledged to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 81 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035, as part of plans to reach net zero by 2050.
Britain has spearheaded a push into low-carbon energy also as part of its strategy to combat sky-high electricity and gas bills, which rocketed after key producer Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and sparked a cost-of-living crisis.
Energy bills remain at elevated levels in Britain as the country faces freezing temperatures at the start of the year.
