May 18 (Renewables Now) - The state of Bavaria on Tuesday unveiled a plan to double the electricity generation from renewable sources by the end of the decade with a focus on solar power.

Renewable energy already plays a major role in Germany's largest federal state with a share of over 52% in power generation. Solar and hydropower produce the biggest chunks of 13 TWh and 11.1 TWh, respectively, followed by biomass with 10.1 TWh and wind energy with 4.9 TWh.

Under the state's energy concept, that was presented on Tuesday, power production from solar energy should triple to 40 TWh by 2030. The solar push will be supported by pilot and demonstration projects all over the state, including photovoltaic (PV) systems on all suitable state buildings, rooftop solar plants on large parking lots and carports as well as agrivoltaics and PV plants on highways.

With an installed capacity of 16.2 GW, the state already accounts for about a quarter of the solar capacity in Germany.

Hydropower, which traditionally has a place in the state's energy mix, should be further expanded. The state targets to add 18 MW of hydropower capacity or output of about 160 GWh per year.

In the area of bioenergy, Bavaria sees the potential to raise its installed capacity, currently at about 1.9 GW, by some 15% by 2030.

The southern German state is pushing also for more wind energy. As many as 1,269 turbines with a total capacity of some 2.57 GW are currently in operation across the state. Their number should grow by at least 800 machines by 2030 which means the deployment of at least 4 GW.

Geothermal energy is also part of the energy strategy of the state. It is expected to cover about 25% of the heating consumption in Bavaria's building sector by 2050.

Along with the renewable energy push, the state is considering a temporary extension of the operation of nuclear power plants in order to ensure a stable supply.

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