Renewable generation capacity increased by 295 GW (+9.6%) in 2022. Solar energy continued to lead capacity expansion, with a massive increase of 192 GW (+22%), followed by wind energy with 75 GW (+9%). Renewable hydropower capacity increased by 21 GW (+2%) and bioenergy by 8 GW (+5%). Geothermal energy increased by a very modest 181 MW.

After excluding 7 bids due to formal errors, the regulator selected 119 proposals with prices ranging between €7.24c/kWh and the maximum permissible value of €7.35c/kWh. The volume-weighted average reached €7.34c/kWh (+25% compared to the previous round).

The Indian conglomerate Essar has announced that it will invest US$3.6bn in the United Kingdom and in India over the next five years through a new entity, named Essar Energy Transition (EET), with the goal to drive decarbonisation.

Current hydrogen production technologies release significant carbon emissions, and up until now, cost has limited expansion to green hydrogen technologies.

The high demand for lithium-ion batteries has translated into shortages of lithium along with shortages of other essential commodities like copper, aluminum, nickel and cobalt.

Germany targets 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The country had 7.7 GW of offshore wind installed capacity at the end of 2021.

The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), today announced up to $47 million in funding to accelerate the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of affordable clean hydrogen technologies.

Germany exported around 501 TWh of natural gas in 2022 (749 TWh in 2021). As a result, at 948 TWh, more natural gas was available in Germany in 2022 than in 2021 (902 TWh).

Electric utilities are facing a future of increased competition, disruptive technologies, and changing customer demands.

How will the 55 GW of generation from coal, gas, and nuclear be replaced during weeks of wind-still winter in mid-century Germany?