With a lot of wind in February and then plenty of sun in March, the German weather in the first quarter of 2020 could hardly have produced better conditions for green electricity. This is reflected in the statistics: for the first time, the share of renewable energies exceeded 50 percent for the whole quarter. 

52 percent of Germany’s electricity green in first quarter of 2020

In the first three months of this year, renewable energy sources covered more than half of the electricity consumption in Germany, for the first time ever. This is according to initial calculations by the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg and the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management. 

Between January and March 2020, around 52 percent of the country’s electricity consumption was generated from wind, sun, hydropower and other sustainable sources. In the same period last year, renewable energies only account for 44,4 percent of gross domestic electricity consumption. 

The largest supplier of green electricity was onshore wind turbines, which produced almost 43 billion kilowatt hours in the first quarter of 2020. Another 11 billion kilowatt hours came from biomass, 9 billion from offshore wind farms and 7 billion from photovoltaics. Hydropower produced around 5 billion kilowatt hours. 

Unusual conditions created record green energy output

The significant increase in the share of green electricity is the result of a combination of special effects, the report said. An incredibly windy February (remember Storm Sabine?) was followed by an exceptionally high number of sunshine hours in March. 

In addition, German electricity consumption in the first quarter of 2020 dropped by one percent compared to the same period in the previous year. This is a result of the comparatively weak economy and the decline in industrial activity due to the coronavirus crisis in the last week of March.