FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE
FOR SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS ISE
Power generation from renewable energy in Germany – assessment of 2015
Prof. Dr. Bruno Burger
Fraunhofer Institute for
Solar Energy Systems ISE
Freiburg, Germany, 11.01.2016
Last updated: 13.01.2016
www.ise.fraunhofer.de
www.energy-charts.de
© Fraunhofer ISE
Power generation from renewable energy in Germany –
assessment of 2015
11 January 2016, last updated on: 13 January 2016
The first version from 11 January 2016 takes into account the monthly power generation data
published on 11 January 2016 by the German Statistical Office (Destatis) up to and including
October 2015. The data for November and December were extrapolated from adjusted hourly
values from the EEX power exchange in Leipzig. The tolerance range is greater for extrapolated
values.
The data at Energy Charts is updated by the hour:
www.energy-charts.de
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Power generation in the year 2015
Renewable energy
In 2015, roughly 37 TWh of electricity from photovoltaic arrays was fed into the grid. Production thus rose
year-over-year by 2 TWh or 4.8%. The slight increase compared to previous years is due to the small installation
rate of only 1.4 GW. The target of the government was 2.5 GW. At the end of 2015, 39.6 GW PV were installed.
Solar power production peaked at 27.3 GW on 21 April 2015 at 1:15 PM. In July 2015, the monthly electricity
production of PV systems was for the first time higher than that of nuclear power plants. On 02 August 2015 PV
plants contributed approximately 44% to electricity production.
In the year 2015, 86 TWh were generated from wind, 29 TWh more, hence 50% increase compared to 2014.
Monthly production of wind power peaked in December and was even higher than production of lignite (brown
coal). Hourly production peaked at 35.6 GW on 21 December 2015. The completion of new offshore wind
farms increased production in the North Sea fivefold from 1.3 TWh to 7.1 TWh. The incremental rollout of a new
wind farm in the Baltic also increased power production there fourfold from 0.2 TWh to 0.8 TWh.
Taken together, solar and wind power generators produced 122 TWh in 2015, enough to put them in second
place after lignite but ahead of hard coal and nuclear.
Roughly 56 TWh of electricity was generated from biomass, 24% more compared to last year with 45 TWh.
Approximately 20 TWh came from hydropower, a level roughly unchanged year-over-year .
In total, renewable energy sources – solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass – produced approximately 190 TWh
of electricity in 2015, 30 TWh more than in 2014, equivalent to a 20% increase. Renewables thus made up around
35% of public net power supply. The share in gross power supply – including power plants in the processing
sector, the mining sector, quarries, and excavation – is around 32.5%.
1 TWh = 1 terawatt-hour = 1,000 gigawatts-hours (GWh) = 1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) = 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh)
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Power generation in the year 2015
Non-renewable generation
The net power production from nuclear plants came in at around 87 TWh, 5.1% below the 92 TWh in the
previous year. The reason for the decline is the shutdown of the reactor Grafenrheinfeld in Bavaria on 27 June
2015.
Lignite power plants generated 139 TWh net, some 1.3 TWh (1%) less than in 2014. They were forced to curtail
production in particular at times of peak wind power generation during wind storms. Lignite power stations are
still very inflexible in their response to high feed of renewable energies.
Net production from hard coal plants was posted at 104 TWh, 3.8 TWh (3.5%) lower than in 2014.
Gas power plants generated some 30 TWh, 1 TWh (3.8%) below the level of the previous year. The downward
trend in power production from gas turbines since 2008 thus continues. In addition to power plants for public
power supply, there are also power generation facilities in the mining and manufacturing sector for self supply.
These units produced additional 20 TWh.
1 TWh = 1 terawatt-hour = 1,000 gigawatts-hours (GWh) = 1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) = 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh)
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Power generation in the year 2015
Export surplus
In 2015, the export surplus reached some 48 TWh, a level even higher than the record years of 2012, 2013, and
2014. Specifically, the level is 14 TWh (40%) above the record in 2014. The largest share of exports went to the
Netherlands, and the Dutch passed on some of this electricity to Belgium and the UK. Austria came in second, and
it also passed along some of the electricity to Switzerland. In third place, Poland passed on some of the electricity
from eastern Germany to southern Germany via the Czech Republic.
Germany imported electricity from France, mainly in order to pass it on to neighboring countries.
In power trading so far only numbers from January to October 2015 are available. During this period, 29.7 TWh
were imported to a value of 1.27 billion euros. The export amounted to 67.4 TWh and a value of 2.88 billion
euros. In balance, the resulting export surplus was 37.6 TWh and revenues worth 1.6 billion euros. Imported
electricity cost an average of 42.58 Euro/MWh compared to 42.69 Euro/MWh for exports.
The average day-ahead price of electricity has fallen to 31.2 Euro / MWh and is adjusted for inflation at
approximately the same level as of 2003.
The average market value for PV was at 96% and for wind 85% of the average market price of electricity.
For additional information and graphics, visit: www.energy-charts.de
1 TWh = 1 terawatt-hour = 1,000 gigawatts-hours (GWh) = 1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) = 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh)
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Net power generation for the public grid
Year 2015
Electricity production in 2015
year 2015
TWh
139.4 TWh
140
120
100
80
103.9 TWh
87.1 TWh
84.6 TWh
56.6 TWh
60
40
36.8 TWh
30.0 TWh
20.2 TWh
20
Uranium
Brown Coal
Hard Coal
Gas
Wind
Solar
Biomass
Hydro power
The graph shows net power generation from power plants for the public power supply. Electricity from power
plants in the processing sector, mining, quarries, and excavation is not included.
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: DESTATIS and the EEX power exchange in Leipzig, with adjustments
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Absolute change in net power generation
Year 2015 compared to year 2014
Change in electricity production: 2015 versus 2014
TWh
20,0
+28.6 TWh
10,0
-10,0
+10.7 TWh
+1.9 TWh
-4.7 TWh
-1.3 TWh
-20,0
-30,0
-3.8 TWh
+0.9 TWh
-1.2 TWh
-11,5 TWh
Uranium
Brown Coal
Hard Coal
Gas
Wind
Solar
Biomass
Hydro power
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: DESTATIS and the EEX power exchange in Leipzig, with adjustments
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© Fraunhofer ISE
Relative change in net power generation
Year 2015 compared to year 2014
Relative change in net power generation in 2015 compared to 2014
+60%
+51.1%
+40%
+23.4%
+20%
-20%
+5.3%
-5.2%
-1.0%
-3.5%
-3.8%
Uranium
Brown Coal
Hard Coal
Gas
+4.4%
-40%
-60%
Wind
Solar
Biomass
Hydro power
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: DESTATIS and the EEX power exchange in Leipzig, with adjustments
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© Fraunhofer ISE
Power trading in millions of euros
Year 2006 - 2015
Data of 2015 only from January to October; source: https://www.energy-charts.de/trade.htm
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German power trading
Volume weighted average prices in Euro/MWh
Data of 2015 only from January to October; source: https://www.energy-charts.de/trade.htm
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EPEX day ahead spot price
Weighted by volume, inflation-adjusted, for prices from
November 2015
80
66.8
70
Euro / MWh
60
48.0
50
40
30
30.0
23.0
50.5
45.6
39.6
29.3
39.9
51.6
42.6
37.9
32.6 31.2
20
10
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: EPEX
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© Fraunhofer ISE
Day-ahead market values, weighted by volume
Year 2015
40
35
31.7
32.8
36.6
35.6
Euro / MWh
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: EPEX
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© Fraunhofer ISE
38.3
30.8
26.8
31.6
31.7
31.2
Relative day-ahead market values, weighted by volume
Year 2015
140%
120%
100%
122.8%
117.2% 114.0%
101.7% 105.3%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: EPEX
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© Fraunhofer ISE
98.8% 101.4% 101.5%
86.0%
100.0%
Market value factors
Year 2015
140%
120%
100%
121.1%
115.6% 112.5%
100.3% 103.8%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Graphic: B. Burger, Fraunhofer ISE; data: EPEX
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© Fraunhofer ISE
97.5% 100.0% 100.1%
84.8%
98.6%
Fotos © Fraunhofer ISE
Thank you for your Attention!
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Prof. Dr. Bruno Burger
www.ise.fraunhofer.de
[email protected]
www.energy-charts.de
twitter.com/@energy_charts
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© Fraunhofer ISE