Coal-fired energy technology falls to lowest stage since 1956 – renewables set report | EUROtoday

In 2025, Germany generated much less coal-fired electrical energy than it had in 69 years. According to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE), which is accessible to the information journal “Spiegel”, gross electrical energy technology from lignite and laborious coal was solely 106 terawatt hours (TWh) up to now yr. That was round one terawatt hour (or one billion kilowatt hours) lower than in 2024: the bottom worth since 1956.

The share of coal in the complete German electrical energy combine fell to 22.4 p.c. Twenty years in the past it was about twice as excessive. In return, in 2025 extra electrical energy than ever earlier than can be generated from renewable energies on this nation. For the primary time, photo voltaic methods delivered extra electrical energy than lignite-fired energy vegetation. By far a very powerful supply stays wind energy.

“Coal-fired power generation is often no longer economically worthwhile,” stated Bruno Burger, professor at Fraunhofer ISE, to “Spiegel”. “Due to the high prices for emissions rights, coal-fired electricity has become very expensive.”

In return, pure gasoline energy vegetation have been extra totally utilized, partly as a result of decrease wholesale costs for the uncooked materials. At the identical time, internet electrical energy technology from renewable energies rose by a very good two p.c to the brand new historic excessive of 282.2 terawatt hours. Overall, round 59 p.c of German internet electrical energy technology in 2025 got here from renewable energies.

Net electrical energy technology is calculated from the entire electrical energy manufacturing of an influence plant minus its personal consumption, for instance for the operation of coal mills. For the historic comparability of electrical energy technology from lignite and laborious coal, the institute used gross electrical energy technology (i.e. with out deducting inside consumption), for the reason that Federal Statistical Office solely collected this information till 1988.