Germany used more renewables in 2011

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BERLIN, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The use of renewable energy in Germany for the generation of electricity passed coal and nuclear energy increased this year, an industry association said.

The use of renewable energy rose from 16.4 percent in 2010 to 19.9 percent in 2011, a record for Germany, the Platts news service reports.

The use of wind power increased from 6 percent in 2010 to 7.6 percent this year, Germany industry association BDEW stated.

Power generated through biomass made up 5.2 percent of the German energy mix in 2011 with solar and hydroelectric power close behind.

Germany gets most of its energy from lignite coal, which made up 24.6 percent of the energy mix in 2011 compared with 23.2 percent in 2010. Nuclear power dropped from 22.4 percent in 2010 to 17.7 percent in 2011.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel in March ordered the country's nuclear power plants closed in response to the meltdown of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in early 2011.

The European Union has ambitious targets to "decarbonize" its energy sector by 2050.