In the first half of the year, Germany's share of renewable energy exceeded 50%, a record high

German utility industry association BDEW recently said that 50.
2% of electricity consumption in Germany from January to June was achieved through renewable energy, a record high, adding that electricity consumption fell by 5.
7%
year-on-year due to the coronavirus crisis.

The share of electricity used by renewables rose by 6 points from 44.
1% in the same period last year, reflecting the efforts
of Europe's largest economy to curb warming emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Germany wants to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix to 65% by 2030 and does so
by adding green power generation facilities.

But this year's big increase is also attributed to sluggish industrial demand, with output falling as shutdowns paralyzed business activity
, BDEW said.
"In response to the priority supply of renewable energy, operators have significantly reduced the generation of traditional energy sources in recent months
.
This has led to an increase
in the percentage of renewable energy.
”

Renewable energy generated by weather must first be transmitted on the power line when produced, because the grid must be balanced and electricity cannot be stored
in large quantities.

BDEW said domestic electricity consumption from January to June was 272.
3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), compared with 288.
7 billion kilowatt-hours
in the same period last year.
Imports totalled 26.
1 billion kWh and exports totalled 34.
2 billion kWh, including 13.
4 billion kWh
of internal use in the manufacturer's in-house power plant.

Consumption fell by 4%
in the year to early May due to reduced demand due to the pandemic.
With 74.
5 billion kWh of wind power capacity from January to June, it is the largest single source
of electricity.