Germany Just Got Almost All of Its Power From Renewable Energy
- Wind, solar, biomass and hydro met demand on Sunday afternoon
- Angela Merkel’s Energiewende is squeezing coal and gas margins
Wind turbines operate on onshore farm land sites in this aerial photograph taken near Hamburg.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Clean power supplied almost all of Germany’s power demand for the first time on Sunday, marking a milestone for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Energiewende” policy to boost renewables while phasing out nuclear and fossil fuels.
Solar and wind power peaked at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, allowing renewables to supply 45.5 gigawatts as demand was 45.8 gigawatts, according to provisional data by Agora Energiewende, a research institute in Berlin. Power prices turned negative during several 15-minute periods yesterday, dropping as low as minus 50 euros ($57) a megawatt-hour, according to data from Epex Spot.