Renewable share of Germany gross electricity consumption
Renewable share of Germany gross electricity consumption stood at 55.1% in 2025, according to German Environment Agency (UBA) / Working Group on Renewable Energy Statistics (AGEE-Stat). It is one of the indicators in the Renewable energy: shares, investment and avoided emissions table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1990 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Renewable energy: shares, investment and avoided emissions table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares of renewable energy | |||||||||||
| Gross electricity consumption | 55.1 | 54.4 | 52.9 | 46.3 | 41.7 | 45.4 | 42.2 | 37.9 | 36.2 | 31.8 | |
| District heat generation | 20.8 | 21.2 | 21.1 | 20.1 | 17.6 | 18.9 | 17.4 | 16.4 | 14.4 | 14.2 |
Understanding renewable share of Germany gross electricity consumption
Gross power intake forms the base of this indicator, tracking the proportion of total domestic electricity demand met by renewable generation. The underlying denominator incorporates net generation from all generation sources plus electricity imports, while deducting electricity exports; it also accounts for transmission losses, distribution losses, and power plant internal consumption. In the numerator, the metric tallies power produced from onshore and offshore wind, solar photovoltaics, hydro installations, biomass facilities, and geothermal plants. This coverage sets it apart from final electricity shares, which exclude grid dissipation and station usage, and from sibling thermal shares that track space or process heat.
Annual totals provide the most reliable perspective for this indicator, as calendar-year aggregation smooths out substantial short-term volatility stemming from wind speeds, cloud cover, and seasonal demand swings. Because renewable output depends heavily on weather while gross electricity consumption mirrors broader economic cycles, changes in this ratio reflect movements in both generation volumes and overall grid load. Early annual figures frequently undergo retrospective adjustments when final industrial self-generation accounts and transmission settlement data are confirmed. Analysts must avoid conflating this metric with the renewable share of gross generation, as foreign power trade can expand or contract the consumption denominator without altering domestic plant output.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this percentage include electricity consumed directly by generating plants?
- Yes, gross electricity consumption includes station own-use along with network transmission and distribution losses.
- How does cross-border electricity trade influence this indicator?
- Net electricity imports expand the total consumption denominator, whereas net exports reduce it, altering the final renewable proportion regardless of domestic renewable generation.
- Why can this share change even if renewable electricity generation remains flat?
- Fluctuations in total electricity demand across industry, commerce, and households alter the denominator, which shifts the calculated share independently of generation volumes.