Renewable energy at a glance

In short: Renewable energies come from sources that constantly renew themselves: sun, wind, water, geothermal heat and biomass. In operation they cause hardly any greenhouse gases.

In more detail: In Germany renewable energies now supply around half of electricity.

In detail

• Photovoltaics: Converts sunlight directly into electricity (photovoltaik-grundlagen).
• Wind power: Onshore on land, offshore at sea; supplies much electricity in winter.
• Hydropower: Reliable, but expansion is limited.
• Geothermal: Heat from the earth, also usable with heat pumps (waermepumpe).
• Biomass: Wood, biogas; sustainable only with responsible use.
• Storage and grids: Batteries, pumped storage and grid expansion balance fluctuating generation.
• Climate protection: Replacing fossil energy lowers emissions (klimawandel-grundlagen).
• Private: Green electricity, balcony power plant, heat pump.