Renewable Energy in Germany: Green Electricity Grows by Almost 14 Percent in the First Quarter

However, not all renewable sources increased: electricity generation from photovoltaics declined by 7.4 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. This dampened the increase, but could not offset the strong expansion of wind power.

Coal and Natural Gas Lose Ground

On the conventional side, electricity generation from coal fell by 5.1 percent. Electricity from coal therefore remained the second most important energy source with a share of just under one quarter (24.1 percent) of domestic electricity generation. Electricity production from natural gas rose by 3.2 percent and accounted for 20.0 percent. Overall, conventional electricity generation fell by just under two percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year, to 59.1 billion kilowatt-hours.

Germany has once again become a net exporter of electricity for the first time since the end of 2023. For the first time since the end of 2023, German electricity exports again exceeded imports from neighboring countries. The net result was a surplus of 3.1 billion kilowatt-hours. Exports abroad rose by a good 20 percent, while electricity imports fell by 15.5 percent.

Germany Returns to Net Exporter Status

According to earlier figures from the Federal Network Agency, the largest buyer of electricity from Germany in the first quarter was Austria. The largest increases were recorded in exports to Denmark and Norway. Significantly less electricity, on the other hand, was delivered to France.

Overall, 6.0 percent more domestically produced electricity was fed into the grid than in the first quarter of 2025. The composition of the German electricity mix is thus visibly shifting in favor of renewable sources, even though coal and natural gas continue to play a notable role.

The development shows that the expansion of wind energy is a crucial lever for the green electricity transition. If the weather remains similarly windy in the coming quarters, the share of renewable energies in domestic generation is likely to continue to rise. At the same time, it remains to be seen how the declining photovoltaic trend and the increased gas exports will affect the path to climate neutrality.