Renewables covered almost 60% of German electricity demand in 2023

New statistics from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) show that PV systems in Germany generated around 59.9 TWh of solar power in 2023, with 6.4 TWh used for home consumption.

Image: Simon Vollformat, Unsplash

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From pv magazine Germany

Renewables accounted for a record share of 59.7% of public net electricity generation in Germany in 2023, according to new figures from Fraunhofer ISE.

The research institute recorded new highs for wind power and solar. Onshore and offshore wind were the most important source of public electricity generation at 139.8 TWh, or 32% of the total. Wind farm generation was 14.1% higher than in 2022.

Germany achieved a record-breaking newly installed PV capacity of approximately 14 GW last year, marking the first time the expansion rate hit double digits, surpassing the federal government's target of 9 GW. The 59.9 TWh generated from PV systems contributed 53.3 TWh to the public grid, with 6.4 TWh used for self-consumption.

In June alone, PV systems in Germany generated around 9 TWh of electricity – a new monthly record.

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Hydropower also increased,  but with hardly any change in output. It contributed 20.5 TWH to public electricity generation, or 3 TWh more than in 2022. Biomass remained steady at 42.3 TWh.

In total, renewables generated around 260 TWh, up 7% compared from 2022.

Installed battery capacity almost doubled from 4.4 GW in 2022 to 7.6 GW last year. Storage capacity increased from 6.5 GWh to 11.2 GWh. Output of German pumped storage plants reached 6 GW.

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