Germany got more than 10% of its energy last year from renewable sources, a "delightful" step towards a 2020 goal of 18%, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said on March 24.
Energy produced by sources including biomass, geo-thermal, hydro-electric, solar and wind accounted for 10.1% of the total consumed by Europe's biggest economy, up from 9.3% in 2008.
Biomass sources were the single biggest supplier.
The government has set itself an ambitious target of obtaining half of its energy needs from such sources by 2050.
By 2020, Germany also wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from their level in 1990.
Renewable energy allowed the country to avoid 110 tons of such emissions last year, the minister said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010