Electricity generation from renewable energy in Germany increased by 8.1% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2023, reaching a share of 60.2% of total power generation as electricity imports surged 78.6% in the same period, according to preliminary data by the Federal Statistics Office Destatis.
Between July and September, power plants across the country fed 94.2 billion kWh of electricity into the grid which is 20.3% less than in the third quarter of 2022. The decline is likely a result of lower electricity demand following the economic slowdown in energy-intensive industries and the increased import of electricity, Destatis said on Wednesday.
A significant increase was observed in wind power generation which rose 16.2% to 23 billion kWh while solar installations supplied 20.2 billion kWh and accounted for 21.5% of the total output.
In contrast, generation from conventional energy sources fell by 42.9% and represented 39.8% of total electricity production.
The table below provides details about power generation in Germany in the third quarter of 2023.
| Source | Q3 2022 (billion kWh) | Share (%) | Q3 2023 (billion kWh) | Share (%) |
| Total power fed into the grid | 118.2 | 100 | 94.2 | 100 |
| Conventional sources | 65.7 | 55.6 |
37.5
| 39.8 |
| Renewable energy |
52.5
| 44.4 |
56.7
| 60.2 |
| – Wind energy |
19.8
| 16.8 |
23.0
| 24.4 |
| – Biogas |
7.2
| 6.1 | 6.5 | 6.9 |
| – Solar PV |
19.0
| 16.1 | 20.2 | 21.5 |
| – Hydropower |
3.5
| 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
Meanwhile, the amount of electricity imported into Germany increased by 78.6% to 23.1 billion kWh in the third quarter of 2023 with Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria and Switzerland being the major sources of imports during the period. At the same time, German electricity exports fell by 38.2% to 9.9 billion kWh resulting in an import surplus of 13.2 billion kWh.
