Consequences of the corona pandemic: Germany uses less energy

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Germany uses less energy

The investments in renewable energies are paying off: This year not only is German energy consumption falling significantly, CO2 emissions are also falling noticeably. Although there are signs of a change of course, the main reason for the decline is the corona crisis.

Energy consumption in Germany fell by 8.7 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. According to preliminary calculations, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (AGEB) put total energy consumption at 398.8 million tons of hard coal units. Compared to 2006, the year with the highest energy consumption in Germany since reunification, around 21 percent less energy was used, according to the balance sheet.

Due to the lower consumption and the increased use of renewable energies, the CO2 emissions have also decreased significantly, by around 80 million tons. This corresponds to a reduction of around 12 percent compared to the previous year. The decline in energy consumption is primarily a consequence of the corona pandemic. But long-term trends such as increasing energy efficiency and the replacement of coal by other energy sources have also contributed.

According to the AGEB figures, hard coal and lignite provided just under 16 percent of total energy consumption in Germany in 2020. Renewables contributed almost 17 percent. Nuclear energy accounted for 6 percent. Mineral oil and natural gas remained the most important energy sources with a combined over 60 percent. According to the analysis, a broad energy mix remains characteristic of the German energy supply.

. (tagsToTranslate) Economy (t) Corona crisis (t) Renewable energies (t) Energy supply (t) Energy transition (t) CO2 emissions (t) Coal-fired power plants