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Renewable Energy Made Up 62.7% of Germany’s Electricity in 2024

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09 Jan, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

Renewables are now making up a majority of the net public electricity generation in Germany, according to a new report by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE).

As Fraunhofer ISE reported, renewable energy sources accounted for 62.7% of the net public electricity generated in Germany in 2024. Wind energy made up the most of this share, comprising 33% of net public electricity generation at 136.4 terawatt hours (TWh). While onshore wind energy declined slightly, offshore wind power increased to 25.7 TWh compared to 2023’s 23.5 TWh.

Meanwhile, solar power in Germany reached a new record of 72.2 TWh in 2024 and exceeded the country’s photovoltaic target to install 13 gigawatts (GW) of solar for 2024, with 13.3 GW installed by November 2024 and an estimated 15.9 GW installed by the end of the year. 

Total solar power production increased by 18% compared to 2023, and solar energy made up 14% of the total net public electricity generation, according to Fraunhofer ISE. 

Solar expansion and production increased rapidly last year, despite weather conditions that were often not ideal for solar power generation, PV Magazine reported. While Germany experienced its hottest year on record, as Yahoo! reported, the country experienced heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in July, which was also the month with the most solar energy production of 2024. Heavy rain and storms continued into the fall.

The Odervorland wind farm in Brandenburg, Germany on Oct. 24, 2024. Patrick Pleul / picture alliance via Getty Images

In addition to rising renewables, reliance on hard coal and lignite for public electricity generation declined by 27.6% and 8.4%, respectively. Lignite, or brown coal, is one of the most polluting and carbon-emitting types of coal to use for power generation, according to Greenpeace. Reducing the combustion of lignite and hard coal in favor of renewables is helping to lower emissions in Germany.

“Due to the increasing share of renewable energies and the decline in coal-fired power generation, electricity generation is lower in CO2 emissions than ever before; since 2014, emissions from electricity generation have halved (from 312 to approx. 152 million tons of CO2 per year),” Fraunhofer ISE stated. “Carbon dioxide emissions from German electricity generation were 58 percent lower than at the start of data collection in 1990.”

While renewable energy expansion and generation is on the rise in Germany, the country still has more targets to meet to reach its overall clean energy goals. According to Fraunhofer ISE, onshore wind expansion, which met 2.44 GW installed for 2024, fell behind schedule of the 7 GW planned. Further, while lignite consumption declined, it still provided 71.1 TWh for net public electricity generation, nearly the same amount as solar. Natural gas consumption for electricity also increased 9.5% in 2024 compared to 2023.

To boost the continued increase in renewable energy capacity and reduce the use of fossil fuels, Germany has worked to expand battery storage. In 2024, the country increased installed battery capacity from 8.6 GW to 12.1 GW. Storage capacity increased from 12.7 gigawatt hours (GWh) to 17.7 GWh.

The German Federal Government has set a target for carbon-neutrality by 2045 as well as goals to end coal-fired power generation and meet 80% of gross electricity consumption with renewable energy sources by 2030, as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reported. In June 2024, the government’s climate advisors announced the country was not on track to meet its 2030 goals, Reuters reported.

The post Renewable Energy Made Up 62.7% of Germany’s Electricity in 2024 appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Urban 'placemaking' focus for $85m recreation centre

Urban 'placemaking' focus for $85m recreation centre

Sydney developer Billbergia Group has announced the Rhodes Recreation Centre — an $85 million, 9200 m2 multi-purpose community hub in Sydney’s Inner West.

Located at 6 Gauthorpe St and designed by architectural firm SJB, the recreation centre is in a three-level podium building beneath two high-rise residential towers — the 48-level Peake and 43-level Oasis. Together, they form stage two of the developer’s Rhodes Central Masterplan — a $3 billion, three-stage town centre project.

The Rhodes Recreation Centre was delivered under a $97 million Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) between the developer and City of Canada Bay Council. It will be handed over to council next month and is set to open later this year. Once complete, the masterplan will have delivered 25,000 m2 of dedicated public amenity, including retail, community facilities and open space.

With the NSW Government’s housing reforms set to address the housing shortage, the recreation centre will reflect the importance of ‘placemaking’ — a collaborative approach to designing and managing public spaces that enhances community wellbeing and fosters connections between people and their environment — in planning new urban communities.

It also presents a pathway for public and private sectors to collaborate and create social infrastructure while increasing housing supply in fast-growing suburbs.

The recreation centre is set to add vibrancy and pedestrian activity to the local streetscape, providing a diverse range of facilities that enhance the livability of the evolving suburb. These community amenities include two full-sized indoor sports courts, a gymnastics centre, a 70-place childcare centre, a community lounge, allied health services, and bookable spaces for local groups and events. It also provides a gym with cardio equipment, weights, group fitness rooms, a creche and an outdoor terrace, alongside a range of sustainability features.

Facilities at the Rhodes Recreation Centre. Images supplied.

“Rhodes Recreation Centre is the community heart of our high-density TOD development, bringing to life Billbergia’s vision for a future-focused, livable urban environment that prioritises amenity, not just density,” said Saul Moran, Development Director – Planning and Design at Billbergia.

The amenities within the two residential towers include a swimming pool, spa, sauna, children’s play area, library and theatre rooms. Pedestrian connections and through-site links provide access to Rhodes railway station and the Homebush Bay waterfront.

“The Rhodes Recreation Centre stands as a benchmark in successful public–private collaboration. Through a VPA with Canada Bay Council, we’ve created a pathway to unlock additional housing supply while delivering significant, lasting community infrastructure. It’s a clear demonstration of how thoughtful public and private partnerships can shape vibrant, livable neighbourhoods,” Moran said.

Located adjacent to Rhodes railway station, stage one of Billbergia’s Rhodes Central Masterplan was completed in 2021 and included the 13,000 m2 Rhodes Central Shopping Centre, with convenience retail, a Woolworths supermarket, medical facilities and the Bamboo Lane dining precinct.

Other previous projects include the 1.2 ha Phoenix Park in Rhodes, the $63 million Bennelong Bridge, the popular Baylink Shuttle service, the 3500 m2 Wentworth Point Community Centre and Library, and the Wentworth Point Pop-Up Town Square.

Billbergia’s ongoing focus on placemaking and social infrastructure also includes the $8.4 million delivery of a library at its mixed-tenure development, Arncliffe Central, in Sydney’s south. There is the potential for 75% of Arncliffe Central’s dwellings to be dedicated to social, affordable and essential worker rental housing, along with 3400 m2 allocated to childcare, convenience retail and cafes, and a 4000 m2 park with play space for both residents and the broader community.

Top image caption: The Rhodes Recreation Centre location with two planned residential towers, Peake and Oasis. Image supplied.

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