Initial estimates by the Federal Association of Energy and Water (BDEW), or Bundesverbandes der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft, reveal that renewable energies covered 67.9 billion kWh, or a quarter of Germanys electricity needs in the first six months of 2012, compared to 56.4 billion kWh in 2011, or 21 percent. As such, their contribution has exceeded the 25 percent mark, for the first time.
The association goes on to say that with a share of 9.2 percent (2011: 7.7 percent), wind energy is still the most important renewable energy in Germany, followed by biomass with a share of 5.7 percent (2011: 5.3 percent). Having increased 47 percent from the first six months of 2011, photovoltaics contribution has grown from 3.6 to 5.3 percent. Meanwhile, representing no increase on last year, the share of renewable electricity from waste incineration plants and other renewable energies remained at 0.9 percent.
On July 5, Germanys photovoltaic industry association, BSW Solar reported that in the first half of the year, around 14.7 billion kWh of electricity were said to have been produced from 1.2 million photovoltaic systems. It added that the figures represent growth of 50 percent on the same period in 2011. "Thus photovoltaics develops itself as the driver of energy change in Germany," stated CEO Carsten Körnig at the time. Meanwhile, in May, it was found that photovoltaics accounted for around ten percent of Germanys energy supply, according to the BDEW.
Overall, the BDEW says Germanys power consumption has decreased in the same period. Down 1.4 percent on the previous year, power consumption stood at 261.5 billion kWh. This has been attributed to the lower production in the electricity intensive industries of iron and steel generation, base chemicals and paper.
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