Germany meets half its energy demand from solar, briefly

May 30, 2012
Solarpark_Untermöckenlohe

(Credit: GrüneFraktionBayern/Wikimedia Commons)

Solar power plants in Germany peaked at 22 gigawatts of output for a few hours on Friday and Saturday, yielding almost half the country’s energy needs from the renewable resource and setting a new record in the process, IEEE Spectrum Energywise reports.

In the wake of the decision to shutter all of its nuclear plants, solar power will need to play an even bigger role in the future.