Renewables cover 52% of Germany’s electricity needs in 2023

Renewables will cover 52% of Germany’s total electricity needs in 2023 — a five percentage point increase from the year before, according to preliminary calculations by solar and hydrogen research group ZSW and energy industry association BDEW.

Onshore wind farms accounted for 22.3% of the mix and solar PV held a 12.2% share. Biomass, offshore wind, and hydro accounted for the rest of the renewables output.

“The numbers show that we are on the right track,” BDEW chair Kerstin Andreae said in a statement, adding that policymakers needed to reduce red tape to facilitate a full transition to clean energy.

Frithjof Staiß, managing director of ZSW, said the country would also need to invest heavily in green hydrogen and direct air capture systems, which extract carbon from the air. Both technologies rely on renewable energy, meaning solar and wind output would need to “increase significantly”.

Germany — the world’s third-largest economy — aims to get to 80% renewable power by 2030.