Topics | Umweltbundesamt

Primary energy consumption (PEC) in Germany has fallen significantly since the end of the 2000s. It fell by 26% between 2008 and 2023.According to the Energy Efficiency Act of 2023, PEC is to be reduced by 39% by 2030 compared to 2008.The 'Projection Report 2023' by the German Environment Agency indicates that the measures taken so far will likely be insufficient to achieve these targets.The indic... read more

The volume of electricity generated by combined heat and power (CHP) has been increasing almost steadily until 2017.The decline in CHP electricity generation between 2017 and 2018 is due to a change in energy statistics: Since 2018, CHP plants have been recorded more accurately.The CHP Act stipulates that CHP should generate 120 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2025.The target of 110 TWh for... read more

The share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption rose from 6.3% to 52.5% between 2000 and 2023.The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) stipulates that the share of renewable energies should increase to at least 80% by 2030.If Germany fulfills its ambitious expansion targets for new photovoltaic and wind power plants over the next few years, this goal is within reach. read more

Gross final energy consumption includes all types of final energy consumption by end consumers, including electricity, district heating, fuels and fuels for heat generation.As part of the updated EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) targets, the German target has been set at 41% by 2030.Achieving this target will require new measures and a significant acceleration in the expansion of renewable ener... read more

Renewables are increasingly replacing fossil fuels in the fields of electricity, heat and transport.More than three quarters of the emission reductions were achieved in the electricity sector.The Federal Government intends to considerably expand the share of renewables to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. read more

The European Nitrates Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the German Groundwater and Drinking Water Ordinances require that exceedances of the limit value for nitrate of 50 milligrams per liter be prevented.Since 2008, the quality standard has been exceeded every year at almost one in six measuring points.Extensive changes to the fertilizer legislation have allowed the designation of particul... read more

Between 1991 and 2024 the area of grassland in Germany decreased by around 12 %.The area of permanent grassland has almost remained at the same level in recent years.The loss of grassland was largely halted with the EU agricultural policy introduced in 2014, and the area of grassland has not fallen below the 2013 level since then. Effective steps are required to achieve this target. read more

In the sector of products with official eco-labels, 12.2% of turnover was generated with particularly environmentally friendly and socially responsible products in 2022.The Federal Government has set the target of increasing the market share of these products to 34% by 2030.More efforts are needed to achieve this goal, particularly in the food, clothing and mobility sectors. read more