, Columnist
Germany and the U.S. Have Different Ideas About Energy
Germany is more committed to going green, but the U.S. has cut coal use more. Thank natural gas for that.
Germany has made a big push for renewables, but done little to cut coal use.
Photographer: Markus Heine/nurphoto/getty imagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The share of Germany's electricity generated from renewable sources has tripled during the past decade, to 30.1 percent. That's impressive, especially when compared with what has happened in the U.S.1464208035003
On the other hand, the percentage of Germany's electricity generated by burning coal isn't all that much lower than it was a decade ago, and is higher than it was in 2010. In the U.S., coal's share has been falling a lot in recent years.