MORE THAN A THIRD OF GERMANY’S POWER BY 2020

Germany: 36 per cent of electricity in to be generated from renewables by 2020
21 February 2012 (World of Photovoltaics)

"The energy market in Germany will see dramatic changes during the next few years. With the nuclear energy capacity halved, the landscape to 2020 will look very different with renewable energy to account for 36 percent of electricity generated...

"…[A new forecast predicts] that overall electricity generation will decline from 625TWh in 2010 to 590TWh in 2020, due to energy efficiency measures and increased imports (which will be needed to fill part of the gap left by the nuclear plant closures). However, the installed capacity is set to rise from 153GW to 179GW in 2020. This is mainly because of the growth in wind and solar, both of which have relatively low availability and need to be supported by back-up power such as gas turbines…"

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"…Solar PV capacity is forecast to treble while wind will grow by average of 2GW per year…Energy efficiency will play an important role in the reduction in demand; the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG)…[aims] to reduce energy consumption by 9 per cent in 2020, in comparison to consumption 2001-2005.

"…[F]rom now till 2020…coal will remain the leading fuel (37 per cent of generation) but Germany will experience a decline in lignite-fired output as older power stations are decommissioned…[There will also be] an increase in [the] share of gas through an accelerated development programme – though greater shares [are] anticipated post-2020…"