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Germany: Coal tops wind as primary electricity source
[DW] In the first half of 2021, coal shot up as the biggest contributor to Germany's electric grid, while wind power dropped to its lowest level since 2018. Officials say the weather is partly to blame."You chose...poorly" Despite efforts to boost renewable energy sources, coal unseated wind power as the biggest energy contributor to the German network in the first six months of 2021, according to official statistics released on Monday. The data comes as Germany looks to speed up its exit from coal-powered plants after years of mounting pressure from climate experts and activists over the country's dependence on coal and its detrimental impact in fueling the climate crisis. But the latest figures also reveal the challenges that lie ahead with the country's energy shift. What did the data show? Data published by the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis) found that the production of electricity from "conventional" energy sources rose by 20.9% this year, compared to the first half of 2020. In total, conventional energy sources — including coal, natural gas and nuclear energy — comprised 56% of the total electricity fed into Germany's grid in the first half of 2021. Coal was the leader out of the conventional energy sources, comprising over 27% of Germany's electricity. Wind power's contribution to the electric grid, on the other hand, dropped significantly compared to the previous year — from 29% to 22%. Wind had been the top producer of electricity, but has now logged its lowest figures since 2018. Posted by: 3dc 2021-09-16 |
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