Energy consumption in Germany is increasing – and because more electricity is produced with fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions are also increasing. Compared to 2019, however, lignite consumption has decreased.
The recovery of the economy after the Corona slump and the relatively cool winter caused energy consumption in Germany to rise in the first half of 2021.
According to calculations by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (AGEB), consumption increased by 4.3 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. The temperature-adjusted consumption values would be more than 7 percent below the value for the first six months of 2019.
Because more electricity was produced with lignite and hard coal than in the same period of the previous year, carbon dioxide emissions rose by 6.2 percent. The consumption of lignite rose in the first six months of this current year by around a third, that of hard coal by almost 23 percent. The increase in fossil fuels in electricity generation is said to be mainly due to the fact that less wind power was generated. Compared to the first half of 2019, however, the consumption of lignite has fallen by 12 percent.
In the entire German energy mix, natural gas took the lead for the first time with a share of 30.6 percent, mineral oil
fell to second place with 28.6 percent. Renewable energies occupy third place with a share of 16.8 percent. The shares of lignite and hard coal in total consumption increased
slightly to a total of 16.6 percent. In the further course of the year, however, there could be shifts, stressed the energy statisticians.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
