In the third quarter of 2023, Germany generated and fed into the grid 94.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, according to preliminary results from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This marks a 20.3% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2022. The decline is attributed to reduced electricity demand due to the economic slowdown in energy-intensive industries and increased electricity imports.
Renewable energy sources contributed to 60.2% of the total electricity generated, marking an 8.1% increase from the third quarter of the previous year when they accounted for 44.4%. In contrast, conventional energy sources saw a 42.9% decrease, constituting 39.8% of total electricity generation compared to 55.6% in Q3 2022.
Renewable Energies: 16.2% More Wind Power
- Wind power generation increased by 16.2% in Q3 2023 compared to Q3 2022, representing 24.4% of the total electricity produced.
- Photovoltaic power increased by 6.6%, contributing 21.5% to domestic electricity feed-ins.
Conventional Energy Sources: 47.3% Less Coal Power
- Electricity generated from coal power plants decreased by 47.3% in Q3 2023 compared to the previous year, constituting 23.9% of total electricity generation.
- After the shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants in April 2023, there was no nuclear energy generation in Q3 2023.
- Electricity generated from gas increased by 9.2%, representing 12.7% of total electricity feed-ins.
Electricity Imports 13.2 Billion Kilowatt-Hours Higher than Exports
In Q3 2023, Germany imported significantly more electricity than it exported. Imported electricity rose by 78.6% to 23.1 billion kilowatt-hours compared to Q3 2022, while exported electricity decreased by 38.2% to 9.9 billion kilowatt-hours. The import surplus amounted to 13.2 billion kilowatt-hours.
The data covers all power plants and generation facilities in Germany feeding electricity into the general supply grid. It does not include electricity generated and consumed directly in industrial plants. The domestically produced and fed-in electricity quantity is not equivalent to electricity consumption, considering network losses and the balance of electricity imports and exports.
https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/12/PD23_462_43312.html