Green Energy's Share on Power Consumption Plummets to 47 Percent in Q1

Q1 of 2025 experienced a significant dip in the contribution of renewable energy to electricity usage, chiefly due to poor wind energy generation. Renewable sources accounted for just about 47 percent of the power consumption in Germany, a sharp decline from the 56 percent reported in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, according to preliminary data analyzed by the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW).

Renewable energy installations produced just 63.5 billion kilowatt-hours (billion kWh) of electricity from January to March, marking a 16 percent fall from the same period last year. This reduction can be attributed primarily to February and March's wind-lacking months. Offshore and onshore wind energy production decreased by 31 percent and 22 percent, respectively, with total wind energy generating 33.3 billion kWh of power in Q1. This was approximately 14 billion kWh less than last year's corresponding quarter, covering nearly a quarter of Germany's gross electricity consumption.

Rainfall was low in February and March, leading to decreases in hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power contributed 4.2 billion kWh to electricity generation, about 26 percent less than the rainfall-rich period last year. This contribution matches that of Q1 in 2023, accounting for three percent of Germany's power consumption.

A 30 Percent Surge in Solar Power

However, there was a positive development in photovoltaic electricity generation: an influx of solar installations and an unusually sunny March were behind a noticeable rise. With an increase of 3.2 billion kWh from the same period last year, solar power production in Q1 rose by about 32 percent, accounting for ten percent of Germany's electricity consumption. Unfortunately, this increase was insufficient to offset the significant drop in wind energy.

The recently passed "Small Energy Law Amendment" aims to prevent temporary production surpluses and optimize the integration of photovoltaic systems into the power system. In contrast, the share of hard coal increased by 36 percent, brown coal by 7 percent, and natural gas by 18 percent.

Kerstin Andreae, Chairwoman of the BDEW Executive Board, emphasizes the fluctuation in renewable energy production due to weather conditions. To guarantee supply security, along with expanding renewables, there is a need for more storage, more flexibility, and controllable hydrogen-capable gas power plants.

The new federal government must enact a new law within its first 100 days that triggers rapid expansion of controllable power plant capacities through reliable investment incentives. Simultaneously, the energy system needs more storage, new manufacturer and consumer flexibilities, and an electricity market that makes flexibility provision attractive.

"To ensure supply security despite weather-dependent and seasonal fluctuations, the dynamic expansion of renewable must be accompanied by an equally dynamic expansion of infrastructure and flexibility options," says ZSW Board Member Frithjof Staiß. Green hydrogen plays a crucial role in this.

Increase in Power Imports

In Q1 of 2025, gross electricity generation was at 132.4 billion kWh, 2.7 percent less than the same period in 2024. It juxtaposes with a gross power consumption of 135.3 billion kWh. Resultantly, electricity imports rose by 15 percent to 19 billion kWh. Overall, sun, wind, and other renewable sources produced 63.5 billion kWh of demand. Conventional energy sources supplied 68.9 billion kWh. The figure 47.9 percent here denotes the share of renewable energy in the total electricity generated in Germany in Q1 2025.

The familiar metric logs the percentage of green energy in the gross electricity consumption, which aligns with the German government's renewable energy development target benchmarks. Gross electricity consumption characterizes a country's entire power system. It is the sum of the gross electricity generated within the country and the net exchange of electricity across its borders. Another approach is to measure renewable energy's share in gross electricity production, representing the total power generated in the country.