Actually, energy flow is quite simple. Plug something into a socket and the energy flows into the desired device. And yet, energy is one of the dominant political and social issues. On the one hand, there is the issue of energy production, and on the other, the need for energy consumption to be as efficient as possible. The much-vaunted energy transition is intended to change all this for the better. Renewable energies here, energy-saving investments there. These are the approaches, and climate neutrality is the goal. However, there is still a long way to go. Let’s take a look at where energy comes from in Germany and where it is ultimately used. First, a quick note: TWh stands for terawatt hour, which breaks down to kilowatt hours for private households, or one billion kilowatt hours (kWh).
Where does the energy come from?
In this context, energy includes not only electricity from wind farms, but also oil, gas, in short, all energy sources. Imported oil and gas explain why imported energy, at 2,609 TWh, accounts for more than twice the amount of energy produced domestically. However, we must also note that in 2024, almost one-fifth (19.4 percent) of primary energy consumption was based on renewable energies. For total energy consumption, the Federal Statistical Office stated that in 2024, more than half (57 percent) came from renewable energy and only 43 percent from fossil fuels (source: Destatis).
However, in the eyes of some consumers and politicians, imports still have a catch, apart from the use of oil and gas. Germany continues to import nuclear power, especially from France. According to Bild newspaper, imports of nuclear power rose steadily from 2022 to 2024 to 17,290 gigawatt hours (source: Bild newspaper).
Where does the energy go?
A glance at our chart shows: into conversion losses. In primary energy consumption, i.e., total energy use, not just by end consumers, no less than 11 percent is “lost.” What is not really comprehensible to laypeople is the fact that, after imports, 17 percent of Germany’s total energy supply is also exported again. In January 2025, the Braunschweiger Zeitung newspaper ran the headline “German energy policy: buy expensive, sell cheap.” Despite the sale of electricity and conversion losses, energy still reaches end users. The transport sector is the frontrunner in terms of consumption. Cars, trains, airplanes, and, yes, even e-bikes consume the most energy in this country.
The Federal Environment Agency estimated the consumption of private households to be in second place on the consumer list in a comparison of 2023 and 1990, at around 25 percent. Two-thirds of energy consumption was used for heating buildings. Consumption was 632 TWh and has stabilized at this level, according to the agency. While electrical appliances have become more energy-efficient, the number of these appliances in households has increased, thus offsetting the savings. Cell phones were still rather unpopular in 1990, tablets did not yet exist, and hardly any children’s rooms had a computer.
What are the goals for the future?
There is no great mystery here: the goal is energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and moving away from fossil fuels. Financial incentives for private households and businesses to use more energy-efficient appliances or to renovate their buildings to make them more energy-efficient are important. The “heating ban law” of the traffic light coalition was anything but successful as a motivator. More successful, albeit unfortunately beyond all legal and financial limits, was the Italian super bonus for energy-efficient renovations.
