German electricity by source in 2019
Coal power
See also:
Fossil-fuel phase-out § Germany
Grafenrheinfeld Power Plant.
Coal is the largest source of electricity in Germany. As of 2016, around 40% of the electricity in the country is generated from coal.
[11] This was slightly down from 2013, when coal made up about 45% of Germany's electricity production (19% from hard coal and 26% from lignite).
[12]
Germany is also a major producer of coal. Lignite is extracted in the extreme western and eastern parts of the country, mainly in
Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Sachsen and
Brandenburg. Considerable amounts are burned in
coal plants near the mining areas to produce electricity and transporting lignite over far distances is not economically feasible; therefore, the plants are located near the extraction sites.
[13] Bituminous coal is mined in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Saarland. Most power plants burning bituminous coal operate on imported material, therefore, the plants are located not only near to the mining sites, but throughout the country.
[13]
German coal-fired power plants are being designed and modified so they can be increasingly flexible to support the fluctuations resulting from increased renewable energy. Existing power plants in Germany are designed to operate flexibly. Load following is achieved by German natural gas combined cycle plants and coal-fired power plants. New coal-fired power plants have a minimum load capability of approximately 40%, with further potential to reduce this to 20–25%. The reason is that the output of the coal boiler is controlled via direct fuel combustion and not, as is the case with a gas combined-cycle power plant, via a heat recovery steam generator with an upstream gas turbine.
[12]