Rajan Wilcox
Germany's railway system is a large consumer of electricity, using around 2% of the country's total electricity, or 12 terawatt hours annually. While the majority of Germany's railways are electrified, some trains still run on fossil fuels like diesel, particularly on low-density lines. However, the country has been taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint of its railway system by transitioning to renewable energy sources for its trains. Since 2018, Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, has pledged to use renewable power for its long-distance services, with plans to be completely climate neutral by 2040. This includes replacing expiring contracts for fossil fuel generation with renewable energy sources, such as wind, hydro, and solar power.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of electrified railways in Germany | 90% |
| Use of fossil fuels in the railway system | 55% of the energy comes from nuclear, gas, and coal-fired plants |
| Renewable energy sources used by Deutsche Bahn | Wind, hydro, and solar energy |
| Target for renewable energy use by Deutsche Bahn | 28% by 2014 and 100% by 2050 |
| Use of diesel in the railway system | A small portion of trains run on diesel |
| Initiatives to reduce fossil fuel usage | Replacing fossil fuels for heating, increasing energy efficiency, using battery-electric trains, fuel cell trains with hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and digitalisation of the railways |
| Recent developments | In 2022, Deutsche Bahn tested its first fully approved battery train |
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What You'll Learn
- Germany's railway company, Deutsche Bahn, is aiming to be climate neutral by 2040
- Since 2018, Deutsche Bahn has pledged to buy green power to operate its long-distance services
- The company plans to replace fossil fuels such as heating oil and natural gas
- Germany's trains use 12 terawatt hours of electricity annually, 2% of the country's total electricity
- Some 90% of Germany's railways are electric, with the remaining 10% powered by diesel
Germany's railway company, Deutsche Bahn, is aiming to be climate neutral by 2040
Germany's railway company, Deutsche Bahn, is working towards becoming climate neutral by 2040. This is an acceleration of its previous goal to become carbon-free by 2050, which was already ahead of the EU's Green Deal target of climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
Deutsche Bahn is the biggest railway company in Germany and one of the biggest electricity users in Europe. As such, its transition to climate neutrality is of great significance. The company has been criticised in the past for its heavy reliance on nuclear energy and for misleading customers into thinking all of its trains run on green power. However, since 2018, Deutsche Bahn has been heavily publicising its pledge to buy as much green power as it needs to operate its long-distance services.
To achieve its ambitious target, Deutsche Bahn has been partnering with wind and hydroelectric power suppliers and exploring solar power generation on the roofs of its 5,700 stations. In 2011, Deutsche Bahn aimed to increase the percentage of wind, hydro, and solar energy used to power its trains from 20% to 28% by 2014. The company has also signed a deal with the Norwegian energy company Statkraft to source electricity from a hydropower plant in southern Norway. This deal is of strategic importance as Deutsche Bahn's demand for renewable energy can no longer be covered by green electricity produced in Germany alone. The cable facilitating this deal has a capacity of 1,400 megawatts, enabling the transportation of hydropower from Norway to Germany and wind power from Germany to Norway, thus balancing out fluctuations in the power grid.
Deutsche Bahn's climate neutrality goal covers all areas of the railway system in Germany, as well as its global logistics subsidiary, DB Schenker. To meet this goal, DB Schenker is also greening its heat supply by gradually replacing fossil fuels such as heating oil and natural gas and increasing energy efficiency to ensure lower consumption. Deutsche Bahn's current traction current mix is 69.8% renewable, with an intermediate goal of 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2038.
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Since 2018, Deutsche Bahn has pledged to buy green power to operate its long-distance services
Deutsche Bahn's commitment to renewable energy has continued, and since 2018, the company has heavily publicized its pledge to buy enough green power to operate its long-distance services. While this does not mean that the company's power mix is 100% green, Deutsche Bahn has made significant progress in increasing its renewable energy sources. As of 2018, 45% of the company's total power use was sourced from renewable energy, with the remaining 55% coming from nuclear, gas, and coal-fired plants.
Deutsche Bahn has also taken steps to increase the efficiency of its trains and reduce its overall carbon footprint. The company has partnerships with wind and hydroelectric power suppliers and has explored harvesting solar power from the roofs of its 5,700 stations. Additionally, Deutsche Bahn has set targets for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve these emissions by 2030 and become entirely carbon-neutral by 2050.
The company's efforts to increase its use of renewable energy and reduce its carbon footprint have been well-received by environmental groups and have contributed to Germany's overall goal of increasing its share of renewable energy. Deutsche Bahn's actions reinforce the position of rail transport as the most environmentally friendly mode of transport in Germany's digital society.
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The company plans to replace fossil fuels such as heating oil and natural gas
Germany's railway system is largely electrified, with about 90% of the country's railways being electric. This shift to electric trains has helped reduce the country's carbon footprint, as they no longer rely solely on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. However, it's important to note that the electrification of trains alone does not guarantee a complete transition from fossil fuels.
The company Deutsche Bahn, which operates the German railway system, has come under scrutiny for its power sources. While they have made strides towards using renewable energy, in 2018, only 45% of their total power use was sourced from renewable sources, with the remaining 55% coming from nuclear, gas, and coal-fired plants. This has led to accusations of greenwashing, as they had publicized a pledge to buy enough green power to operate their long-distance services.
To address this, Deutsche Bahn set more ambitious targets to increase the share of renewable energy in their power mix. They aimed to raise the percentage of wind, hydro, and solar energy used to power their trains from 20% to 28% by 2014 and become carbon-free by 2050. The company's chief executive, Hans-Juergen Witschke, acknowledged the growing demand for green electricity in Germany and committed to making it happen.
Since then, Deutsche Bahn has made significant progress towards its sustainability goals. As of 2018, all customers traveling on ICE, IC, and EC trains on electrified DB long-distance routes within Germany have been using 100% renewable power. The company has also set more intermediate targets, aiming for 80% green traction power by 2030 and 100% by 2038, with a broader goal of becoming 100% climate neutral by 2040.
The transition to renewable energy in the railway system is part of Germany's broader commitment to addressing climate change and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Germany has pledged to be climate neutral by 2045, utilizing wind power, photovoltaics, electric motors, and green hydrogen. The country's shift towards electrification and renewable energy sources not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes to energy independence and the creation of jobs in the renewable energy sector.
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Germany's trains use 12 terawatt hours of electricity annually, 2% of the country's total electricity
Germany's train system is largely electrified, with some trains still running on diesel. The country's railways use approximately 12 terawatt hours of electricity annually, which is about 2% of the country's total electricity consumption. This is a significant amount of energy, equivalent to the entire annual consumption of Berlin's 3.2 million residents.
Germany has been transitioning towards renewable energy sources and away from fossil fuels and nuclear power. As of 2023, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower accounted for 55% of Germany's total electricity generation. The country has also been increasing its wind and solar power capacity, with over 23,000 wind turbines and 1.4 million solar PV systems distributed across Germany.
In 2011, Deutsche Bahn, the largest electricity user in Germany, announced its intention to increase the share of renewable energy used to power its trains. The company pledged to raise the percentage of wind, hydro, and solar energy from 20% to 28% by 2014 and aimed to be carbon-free by 2050. Since 2018, all customers travelling on ICE, IC, and EC trains on electrified DB long-distance routes within Germany have been using 100% renewable power.
Despite these efforts, Germany's railway system still relies on non-renewable energy sources. In 2020, 55% of Deutsche Bahn's total power use was sourced from nuclear, gas, and coal-fired plants. Germany was the fourth-largest consumer of coal in the world as of 2016, and coal remained a significant factor in the country's energy mix, accounting for 24% of electricity generation in 2020. However, Germany is taking steps to phase out coal, with a target date of 2038 or earlier.
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Some 90% of Germany's railways are electric, with the remaining 10% powered by diesel
Germany's rail network is one of the largest in Europe, with connections to all nine of its neighbouring countries. The federal Deutsche Bahn (DB) is the main operator of the German rail network, and its fleet includes high-speed trains (generally known as ICE, IC, and EC trains), trains serving regional routes (RE and RB trains), and suburban trains (S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains) operating within metropolitan areas.
About 90% of DB trains operate on electric paths, with the remaining 10% powered by diesel. Germany's busiest lines are already electrified, and the majority of railway tonnage in Germany is handled by electric locomotives. However, it is not cost-effective to electrify every single kilometre of railway track, and there are portions of the network that do not have enough rail traffic to warrant electrification.
While Germany has made strides in transitioning its rail network towards electrification, there is still room for improvement in terms of the energy sources powering its electric trains. In 2011, it was reported that Deutsche Bahn aimed to increase the percentage of wind, hydro, and solar energy to power its trains from 20% to 28% by 2014 and become carbon-free by 2050. More recently, Deutsche Bahn has pledged to be climate-neutral by 2040, with a target of making its traction power 80% green by 2030 and 100% green by 2038.
To achieve these goals, Deutsche Bahn has been partnering with wind and hydroelectric power suppliers and exploring solar power generation from the roofs of its stations. However, as of 2020, only 45% of Deutsche Bahn's total power use was sourced from renewable sources, with the remaining 55% coming from nuclear, gas, and coal-fired plants. As Germany continues to develop its renewable energy infrastructure and transition its rail network towards more sustainable energy sources, it is expected that the share of renewable energy in the country's rail sector will continue to grow.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Germany's train system does use electricity from fossil fuels. However, the country has been taking steps to reduce its reliance on non-renewable energy sources. In 2021, Germany's railway company, Deutsche Bahn (DB), announced plans to become climate neutral by 2040, five years earlier than its previous target of 2045. DB aims to supply 100% green electricity to its factories, offices, and train stations by 2025 and achieve complete climate neutrality across its global logistics operations by 2040.
Deutsche Bahn has been actively exploring various sources of renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint. This includes partnerships with wind and hydroelectric power suppliers, as well as initiatives to harness solar power from the roofs of its 5,700 stations. Additionally, DB has signed wind power supply deals with companies like Statkraft and RWE, and has set a goal of making its traction power 80% green by 2030 and 100% green by 2038.
Germany's shift towards renewable energy in its train system has several environmental benefits. Firstly, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with rail transport, which previously relied on fossil fuels like diesel. Secondly, it contributes to the country's overall goal of increasing the share of renewable energy. Finally, it sets a positive example for other large electricity users, demonstrating a commitment to regenerative energy sources and encouraging further development in this sector.
