From October 2025 through September 2026, low-carbon sources supplied about 59% of Germany’s electricity consumption, while fossil fuels supplied about 40%. Wind was the largest individual source at roughly 31%, followed by coal and solar at about 21% and 20%, respectively. Gas supplied another 16%, while biofuels and hydropower each contributed around 4%. Germany therefore gets more than half its electricity from clean sources, but its substantial reliance on fossil fuels still contributes to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Germany?

Germany’s latest figures do not indicate growth relative to its historical peaks, although these comparisons alone cannot establish the year-to-year trend. Electricity consumption in 2026 was about 5,550 kWh per person, roughly 2,360 kWh—or 30%—below the 2008 record. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at about 3,280 kWh per person, around 540 kWh—or 14%—below its 2019 record. These shortfalls are concerning: Germany needs stronger clean electricity growth to support electrification and rising demand from AI and other electricity-intensive activities.

Suggestions

Germany can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding wind and solar, building on their already substantial contributions, alongside stronger grids and storage. Nearby Denmark, where wind supplies about 59% of electricity generation, offers a particularly relevant example of large-scale wind deployment. For solar, Germany can learn from regions such as the US state of California, where solar supplies about 31% of electricity generation. Nuclear should also be part of Germany’s clean electricity strategy: neighboring France generates about 67% of its electricity from nuclear, while Czechia generates about 41%. These nearby examples demonstrate how nuclear can provide a substantial low-carbon foundation alongside growing wind and solar generation.

History

Germany’s low-carbon electricity history features major early nuclear gains followed by deeply disappointing losses. Nuclear generation increased by nearly 12 TWh in 1977, then recorded annual gains of about 26 TWh in 1984, 34 TWh in 1985 and 15 TWh in 1988, followed by another 12 TWh in 1992. That progress was subsequently reversed: nuclear output fell by about 27 TWh in 2007, 14 TWh in 2009 and 33 TWh in 2011, with further declines of 14 TWh in 2020, 33 TWh in 2022 and 26 TWh in 2023. Losing such large amounts of clean generation was a serious setback. Wind delivered important annual gains in the 2010s, including about 22 TWh in 2015 and 26 TWh in 2017; after a 16 TWh decline in 2021, it rebounded by about 12 TWh in 2022 and 17 TWh in 2023. Biofuel generation also fell by about 28 TWh in 2020. More recently, solar’s roughly 16 TWh increase in 2025 was an encouraging step toward rebuilding momentum in clean electricity generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.