At 47 percent, the share of green electricity in German electricity consumption in 2022 is higher than ever. Nevertheless, the energy industry is not developing in a climate-friendly manner: due to the return of coal-fired power plants, CO2 emissions are increasing instead of decreasing as in previous years.
The share of green electricity in electricity consumption in Germany has risen to a record this year. It was 47 percent, after 42 percent in the previous year, as announced by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW) in Berlin. At the same time, however, the share of lignite and hard coal also increased, from 28.3 percent to 31.9 percent. The reason is the return of coal-fired power plants to the electricity market in order to save gas. In addition, nuclear power plants will be decommissioned at the end of 2021.
As a result, according to provisional BDEW calculations, CO2 emissions from the energy industry rose slightly instead of falling for the first time in many years. "Of course, this development is a step backwards for the climate," said Kerstin Andreae, Chair of the BDEW Executive Board. "We must therefore do everything we can to get back on track as quickly as possible. We need more speed in the expansion of renewable energies, in the expansion and conversion of the grids, in the development of a hydrogen market."
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck referred to progress in Germany at the weekend: "We are pushing the expansion of renewables where we can," he told the Funke newspapers. "The traffic light has just improved the investment conditions again, so that the Federal Network Agency can raise the maximum rates in the tenders for wind and solar by up to 25 percent. That's an exclamation mark," he emphasized.
According to BDEW figures, natural gas consumption in Germany fell by 14.8 percent last year compared to the previous year. The reason is the milder weather and savings due to the sharp rise in prices. Further efforts are necessary, said Andreae. The share of Russian gas supplies fell to 20 percent this year, after 55 percent last year.
