In the first quarter of the year, renewable energies covered around 50 percent of electricity consumption in Germany, as in the same quarter of the previous year. Onshore wind turbines alone accounted for about 27 percent. This is shown by preliminary calculations by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW).

A total of around 138 billion kilowatt hours of electricity were consumed, a good six percent less than in the same quarter of the previous year. Around 69 billion kilowatt hours came from renewable sources. The second largest supplier of electricity after onshore wind turbines was biomass, ahead of photovoltaics, sea wind and hydropower.

"Whether it's for the energy transition, the heat transition, the transport transition or the hydrogen ramp-up: In order to achieve the climate targets, we need much more green electricity than we have today," said Kerstin Andreae, Chairwoman of the BDEW Executive Board.