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Decline in Beer Consumption in Germany: Non-Alcoholic Varieties On The Rise

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Beer consumption in Germany is set to decline further in 2024, continuing a long-term downward trend in the country renowned for its beer culture, according to the German Brewers Association, as reported by DPA.

Key Facts:

  • Final sales figures for 2024 are anticipated to be weaker than 2023, which saw the lowest beer sales volume in decades, with only 8.4 billion liters sold.
  • In November 2024, beer consumption fell by 2.1% compared to the same period the previous year, though December’s data has not yet been gathered.
  • Christian Weber, President of the Brewers Association, pointed to factors such as bad weather, inflation, and fluctuations in consumer spending as contributing to the decline in beer sales.

What To Follow 

Amid this decline, many of the approximately 1,500 breweries in Germany are pinning their hopes on non-alcoholic beer varieties to counteract the drop in traditional beer sales.

In 2023, Germans consumed approximately 670 million liters of non-alcoholic beer, with this category accounting for 8.9% of the total beer market by the end of 2024, according to Nielsen data cited by the Brewers Association. Non-alcoholic beer has thus become the third most popular beer type in Germany, after pilsner and lager (helles). This shift toward non-alcoholic options is partly driven by a broader trend toward healthier lifestyles.

The aging population is another contributing factor, with fewer people consuming beer overall, further impacting per capita beer consumption.

Cyprus Moves To Unlock More Solar Power With First Large-Scale Battery Storage Contracts

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Cyprus is preparing to sign the first contracts for large-scale electricity storage batteries on Tuesday, a project expected to improve the grid’s ability to manage growing renewable energy production and reduce the curtailment of solar power.

A Long-Awaited Grid Fix

Energy Minister Michalis Damianos said the agreements will cover 120MW of centralised storage capacity that will be managed by the transmission system operator. The project, valued at €50 million, is expected to deliver the batteries in January 2027, with installation scheduled to take place over the following two to three months.

According to Damianos, the system should become operational by the summer of 2027, a period when both electricity demand and solar generation typically peak. He said the storage facilities will allow energy currently lost due to a lack of storage capacity to be retained and used when needed.

Why Storage Has Become Essential

The batteries are designed to absorb excess renewable electricity during periods of overproduction and release it back into the system when demand increases. Their introduction is expected to reduce the curtailments currently affecting solar generators and improve the use of renewable energy already being produced across the island.

Former Energy Minister George Papanastasiou told Sigma that planning for the project began in 2023 in cooperation with the European Commission. The objective was to address growing losses from renewable energy generation that the electricity network cannot currently absorb.

By the end of May 2026, approximately 160,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy had been lost through curtailments affecting residential photovoltaic systems, commercial solar parks, and wind installations. According to Papanastasiou, renewable electricity production exceeds demand during several hours of the day, leaving part of the output unable to be utilised.

The Cost Of Growing Faster Than The Grid

The challenge has become more pronounced as renewable generation capacity has expanded faster than the infrastructure required to manage surplus electricity. Data from the distribution system operator show that around 306 gigawatt hours of renewable energy were curtailed in 2025, compared with approximately 167 gigawatt hours a year earlier.

Papanastasiou acknowledged criticism that storage deployment has not kept pace with the growth of renewable energy projects, although he noted that regulatory and financing challenges slowed implementation. He added that the development of storage and generation capacity needs to progress in parallel, a challenge faced by many energy markets.

Private Capital Is Also Entering The Market

The state-backed battery installation forms part of a broader expansion of energy storage capacity across Cyprus. Alongside the project managed by the transmission system operator, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) and private developers are advancing their own investments.

Current figures show 36 applications for battery storage projects with a combined requested capacity of approximately 925MW. The EAC has submitted applications for storage facilities in Dhekelia and Moni with a combined capacity of 180MW, while private-sector projects exceeding 150MW have progressed through various stages of the approval process.

Grid Stability Comes First

According to Papanastasiou, the state-owned battery system will primarily serve grid stability and energy security objectives rather than operate as a commercial trading asset. The facilities will store electricity during periods of surplus generation and release it when demand rises or when supply pressures emerge.

Privately operated storage projects could also contribute to the market by storing lower-cost renewable electricity and dispatching it later when demand and prices are higher.

As renewable energy continues to account for a larger share of Cyprus’ electricity mix, storage infrastructure is expected to play an increasingly important role in balancing supply and demand, reducing curtailments, and improving the overall efficiency of the power system.

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