German Wind Power Hits Record as Storms Batter North Europe - Yahoo Finance

German Wind Power Hits Record as Storms Batter North Europe

(Bloomberg) -- German wind power output reached a record high on Thursday as a storm covering northern Europe boosts generation across the region.

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Production from the thousands of turbines in the nation reached 50,869 megawatts at 8 a.m. Berlin time, according to European Energy Exchange data. That eclipsed the previous peak of 50,802 megawatts set in January. Output in the UK and the Nordic nations also surged.

German weather service DWD on Thursday warned of dangerous hurricane-like gusts, particularly at sea and in mountainous areas. Wind speeds may reach as much as 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour as a low-pressure system named Pia is moving south from Sweden and Denmark.

Wind power is Germany’s top source of renewable energy, followed by solar. The share of green sources this year made up more than half of the nation’s electricity production for the first time ever, according to preliminary calculations from the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries. That compares with 44% last year.

At the same time, the country is struggling to build additional capacity amid challenges facing developers, including higher borrowing costs and slow approval procedures.

The UK’s Met Office has yellow warnings in place for strong winds for Thursday. Power generation from turbines covered more than 55% of the country’s total power demand early Thursday, according to grid data.

Output in Germany is set to surge even higher on Thursday, potentially reaching 58,595 megawatts at 5 p.m. local time, according to a Bloomberg Model.

(Updates with chart and forecast in final paragraph.)

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