Germany Just Got 78 Percent Of Its Electricity From Renewable Sources

[applegrove]

Germany Just Got 78 Percent Of Its Electricity From Renewable Sources

by Ari Phillips at Think Progress

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/29/3685555/germany-sets-new-renewable-energy-record/

"SNIP...............



On Saturday, July 25, Germany set a new national record for renewable energy by meeting 78 percent of the day’s electricity demand with renewables sources, exceeding the previous record of 74 percent set in May of 2014.

According to an analysis by German energy expert Craig Morris at the Energiewende blog, a stormy day across northern Europe combined with sunny conditions in southern Germany led to the new record, the exact figures of which are still preliminary. Morris writes that most of Germany’s wind turbines are installed in the north and most of its solar panels are in the south.

If the figures hold, it will turn out that wind and solar generated 40.65 gigawatts (GW) of power on July 25. When this is combined with other forms of renewables, including 4.85 GW from biomass and 2.4 GW from hydropower, the total reaches 47.9 GW of renewable power — occurring at a time when peak power demand was 61.1 GW on Saturday afternoon. To bolster his analysis, Morris points to early figures from Agora Energiewende, a Germany energy policy firm, that have renewables making up 79 percent of domestic power consumption that day.

Renewable sources accounted for 27.8 percent of Germany’s power consumption in 2014, up from 6.2 percent in 2000. The expansion of renewables and another weather phenomenon — a relatively mild winter — led to Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions falling for the first time in three years in 2014, a 4.3 percent year-over-year drop. Greenhouse gas emissions are now down to their lowest level since 1990, according to analysts at Agora Energiewende.


.................SNIP"

[JDPriestly]

1. Wonderful news!

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. This is exciting news. n/t

[SoLeftIAmRight]

3. there are solutions for most of our problems

the one percent stand in the way of moving in the right direction

[GliderGuider]

4. Germany's CO2 emissions, on the other hand

In the decade from 1989 to 1999 German CO2 emissions dropped by 41.7%, from 141 MT to 82 MT. In the 15 years since 1999 however, it has not dropped at all. Although it fell to 72 MT for one year during the 2008/09 financial crash, it has averaged the same 82 MT it started at in 1999.

The German Green Revolution isn't making a whit of difference.

[KelleyKramer]

5. 41.7% drop from 1989 to 1999 ?? You have a link for that?

That is a huge drop, I would like a link to where you got that, thanks.

Also,

your other statement .. "In the 15 years since 1999 however, it has not dropped at all."

The OP you are responding to says there was a 4.4% in 2014 alone, and references another drop in 2011... so I dont need a link for that one

[RiverLover]

6. Well, this should help - "Germany to shut down several coal plants to lower CO2 emissions"

http://www.zmescience.com/ecology/germany-coal-plants-06072015/

They have much to be proud of.