Germany breaks green energy record with 35% of power from renewables
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Share of wind, hydro and solar power in the country’s electricity mix climbed to a record 35 percent in the first half
Germany raised the proportion of its power produced by renewable energy to 35 percent in the first half of 2017 from 33 percent the previous year, according to the BEE renewable energy association.
Germany is aiming to phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022. Its renewable energy has been rising steadily over the last two decades thanks in part to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) which was reformed this year to cut renewable energy costs for consumers.
Germany has been getting up to 85 percent of its electricity from renewable sources on certain sunny, windy days this year.
The BEE reported that the overall share of wind, hydro and solar power in the country’s electricity mix climbed to a record 35 percent in the first half.
The government has pledged to move to a decarbonised economy by the middle of the century and has set a target of 80 percent renewables for gross power consumption by 2050.
Germany’s transition to renewables started in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2010. The government pledged to phase out nuclear power plants by 2022 and reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent.
"It is only with a much greater commitment to the spread of renewable energy sources – for electricity as well as for heating and transport – that we will be able to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and reach the renewable energy targets demanded by the EU," BEE acting managing director Harald Uphoff was cited as saying by Deutsche Welle.
"Climate protection and economic development must no longer be seen as mutually exclusive," he added.
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