The pie charts compare the sources of electricity generation in Germany and France in 2009, with the breakdown of renewable energy in each country.
Overall, Germany relied mostly on conventional thermal power, while France generated the majority of its electricity from nuclear energy. In terms of renewables, Germany had a more balanced distribution across different sources, whereas France was heavily dependent on hydroelectricity.
To begin with, in Germany, the total electricity production was 560 billion kWh. Conventional thermal sources accounted for the largest share at nearly 60%, followed by nuclear energy at 23%. Renewable made up 17.4%, with biomass (39.3%) and wind (36.9%) forming the largest proportions within this category. Smaller contribution came from hydroelectric and solar which were 17.7% and 6.1% respectively. Geothermal was negligible.
France, on the other hand, produced slightly less electricity, at 510 billion kWh. Nuclear power was dominant, representing 76% of total, while thermal sources supplied just over 10%. Renewables contributed only 13.7%, but more than four-fifth of this came from hydroelectric power (80.5%). Wind (10.5%) and biomass (8.1%) played minor roles, and solar and geothermal were almost absent.