Grid operator 50Hertz set new renewables record in 2018

More than 55 percent of power consumed last year in the area of north-eastern Germany covered by grid operator 50Hertz came from renewables, setting a new record for the company. Renewables covered 56.5 percent of electricity demand in the area, which includes major population centres like Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig. Installed renewables capacity in the area rose by 1.6 gigawatts (GW) to almost 33 GW, while congestion management costs dropped “significantly,” the company said in a press release.

Germany as a whole covered about 38 percent of its power consumption with renewables in 2018, an increase of three percentage points compared to a year earlier. The government aims to cover 65 percent of its power consumption with renewables by 2030.