Wind and solar overtake fossil fuels in Germany for the first time ever
Overview
Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels in Germany for the first time ever, according to an IntelliNews report. This milestone refers to electricity generation over an entire year, specifically 2025.
Details from the source
The IntelliNews article states that wind and solar generation exceeded fossil‑fuel generation in Germany for the first time ever. The article does not provide specific percentages or absolute generation figures.
Commentary on the metric
Commenters note that the achievement is measured over a full year and that the metric used is annual electricity production. One comment draws an analogy to the Voyager probes, pointing out that similar claims have appeared before with different definitions of the boundary.
"I have heard this news many times, technically not wrong, but each time with a different metric. This time it is production over a year." – @GuB-42
Another comment clarifies the timeframe:
"For an entire year, that year being 2025." – @marcosdumay
Fossil‑fuel trend and natural gas
Absolute generation from fossil fuels is described as declining quickly, while total generation changes more slowly.
"absolute generation from fossil fuels is declining quickly. The total generation is changing way more slowly than that share." – @marcosdumay
A comment raises the question of whether natural gas is counted among fossil fuels in the comparison.
"does natural gas count as fossil fuels here?" – @lisenKaci
Energy storage developments
Commenters mention emerging heat‑storage technologies that complement renewable generation. In the Netherlands, heat is stored in sand; in Germany, bricks are used for thermal storage, allowing direct use of heat for industrial processes and facilities.
"Part of this is about a new way to store energy. In the Netherlands, they have started storing heat energy with sand, in Germany, they are using bricks." – @NishanStepak
Grid inertia considerations
A comment points out that solar generation lacks inertia, making frequency stability more challenging compared to wind turbines, which retain some inertial properties from their rotating masses.
"I love renewables, but the problem with solar is the lack of inertia (literally). Big spinning masses like steam turbines have an easier time staying on network frequency. Wind turbines better than solar of course..." – @tomasphan
Policy and global context
One comment links the U.S. administration’s stance to renewable energy, suggesting hostility toward cheap renewable power that could benefit manufacturing and AI.
"Cheap, renewable energy offers a competitive advantage to manufacturing and AI. This undoubtedly explains why the current US administration is openly hostile to it." – @jqpabc123
Another comment places Germany’s progress in a global perspective, noting that when all energy use (not just electricity) and the developing world are considered, the transition appears slower.
"It's a good news and a milestone to celebrate but if we count all energy and not only electricity and not only developed world then the progress is not as fast unfortunately." – @citrin_ru
The same comment references a global‑energy‑substitution dataset that shows fossil fuels remain dominant worldwide.
Electricity trade and emissions
Commenters note that Germany is a net importer of electricity, citing nuclear power from France as an example.
"Germany is an importer of significant electricity (e.g nuclear power from France)." – @mikaeluman
Regarding climate impact, one comment provides Germany’s share of global CO₂ emissions:
"The total carbon emission of Germany in 2024 as a percentage of whole world is 1.5%." – @sajithdilshan
The same comment notes that even if Germany became carbon neutral, the global effect would be limited, though domestic social‑policy consequences (e.g., Bürgergeld recipients) could be significant.
Nuclear phase‑out discussion
A comment links the milestone to Germany’s nuclear phase‑out, suggesting that dismantling nuclear capacity may have influenced emissions trends.
"Imagine how much better carbon emissions would be in Germany if they hadn't dismantled nuclear!" – @suddenlybananas
Summary
The IntelliNews report marks a historic point where wind and solar generation surpassed fossil‑fuel generation in Germany for the full year 2025. Community discussion highlights nuances: the metric is annual electricity production, fossil‑fuel generation is falling in absolute terms, natural‑gas classification is uncertain, storage technologies are emerging, solar’s lack of inertia poses grid challenges, U.S. policy appears hostile to renewables, global energy transition remains uneven, Germany relies on electricity imports, its share of global emissions is modest, and the nuclear phase‑out remains a point of debate.