Renewable fuels’ share overtakes hard coal in German heating systems

The share of renewable fuels in Germany’s heating system took over that of hard coal in 2016, an answer by the government to a parliamentary inquiry by the Green Party published by the German Federal Parliament shows. Their share has more than doubled since 2006, from 9.2 percent to 19.8 percent, while the share of hard coal dropped from 24.2 to 19.6 percent over the same period. The share of lignite, oil and natural gas in heating also decreased in the 10-year period, while the share of waste heat grew from 7.1 to 12.5 percent. According to the government, the demand for heating fuels has fallen since 2008, both in absolute terms and as a fraction of total energy consumption.

Find the government’s answer in German here.

For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency.