Germany Sets New Solar Power Record

May 28th, 2012

Via: Reuters:

German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.

The German government decided to abandon nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, closing eight plants immediately and shutting down the remaining nine by 2022.

They will be replaced by renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and bio-mass.

Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs.

“Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity,” Allnoch told Reuters. “Germany came close to the 20 gigawatt (GW) mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over.”

The record-breaking amount of solar power shows one of the world’s leading industrial nations was able to meet a third of its electricity needs on a work day, Friday, and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed.

Posted in Economy, Energy | Top Of Page

2 Responses to “Germany Sets New Solar Power Record”

  1. prov6yahoo says:

    Why does it seem like the countries in Europe actually care for their citizens. Example here is Germany getting rid of dangerous nuclear reactor plants, while in America we are inundated with propaganda stating “Nuclear is safe” in an effort to protect the industry and big money involved. Is America the home of the psychopath land of the insane?

  2. tenzenmen says:

    Yes.

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