Power generation

With the Hessian Energy Act of November 29, 2022, the government of the federal state of Hesse has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045. By then, 100 percent of the energy consumed for electricity and heat is to be covered by renewable energy sources. The Regional Authority FrankfurtRhineMain has committed itself to the climate protection goals of the state of Hesse through its active participation in the "Hessian Climate Communities" programme.

Electricity generation from renewable energies - photovoltaics and biomass are the most important energy sources

Local electricity generation from renewable energy sources accounted for 918 gigawatt hours in the Regional Authority FrankfurtRheinMain in 2022. Electricity generation from photovoltaics, including estimated self-consumption, accounted for 48 percent. Biogas, including sewage and landfill gas, accounted for the largest share with 37 percent. Wind power generated 14 percent and hydropower just under 1.5 percent.

* Self-consumption PV is an estimate of the amount of electricity from photovoltaic systems that is used on site and is not fed into the grid (IE-Leipzig 2020). This estimated value has been provided by the Hessen Agentur since 2019.

Electricity: Development of installed capacity of renewable energies (2018 to 2022)

For electricity, the installed capacity of renewable energies increased by 41 percent between 2018 - 2022, from 467 to 658 megawatts. The most significant increase was observed observed for photovoltaics, with around 53 percent.

Federal electricity mix: almost 44 percent from renewable energies

Regarding electricity generation, the federal electricity mix also plays an important role: In 2022, almost 44 percent of the electricity was generated by renewables - the main sources being wind, water, biogas and photovoltaics. Among fossil fuels, coal had the largest share with 31 percent. Nuclear energy accounted for 6 percent.

Heat generation from renewable energies - heat pumps play the main role

In the region, 426 gigawatt hours of heat were generated from renewable energies in 2022. Heat pumps produced more than half of the total. Biomass generated 29 percent of local renewable heat. This includes wood and residual materials for private households, such as pellets. The share of solar thermal was 16 percent. Just under 1 percent of local renewable heat was generated from thermal springs.

Heat: Development of installed capacity of renewable energies (2018 to 2022)

Like electricity generation from renewable sources, heat generation from renewable sources also increased from 2018 to 2022. Compared to 2018, local installed capacity increased by around 18 percent by 2022. The largest increase was due to heat pumps with almost 42 percent or 15 megawatts, followed by biomass with 22 percent or 15 megawatts.