Current contribution towards the energy system in Germany
As it can be seen from the following figure, the share of renewable energies in 2017 was 13.1% of the national primary energy consumption. In 2018 the share increrased slightly to 13.8%. Among renewable energies, biomass is the most important energy source - biomass contributed to about 60% of renewable energy production in 2017 and 2018.
Bioenergy contributes to the energy system in the sectors of heat (e.g. burning firewood in wood-burning stoves), electricity (e.g. from fermentation in biogas plants) and transport (e.g. bio-methane based on bio-waste for collection vehicles). For illustration purposes, the contribution of biomass to the energy system can be compared as follows:
- Electricity: The gross electricity generation based on biogenic resources of approx. 54 TWh corresponds to the annual output of 4 nuclear power plants.
- Heat: The share of biogenic resources in end energy consumption is approx. 139 TWh. This corresponds to approx. 15 billion litres of heating oil.
- Transport: The share of biofuels in final energy consumption is approx. 33 TWh. This corresponds to approx. 3.8 billion litres of petrol.
When considering the final energy consumption in the transport sector, it should be noted that a significant part of the biogenic fuel or raw materials is imported.
