Germany's solar power use jumps 50% this year

• Renewable energy accounts for 26% of German production
• Solar's share of electricity production is now 6.1%
• Wind accounts for 8.6%, biomass for 6%

BERLIN (AP) — German utilities say solar power production is up more than 50% this year over the first nine months of 2011, partly due to a boom in installations of photovoltaic panels.

The German utilities' industry association BDEW said Monday that solar power output rose to 25,000 gigawatt hours in the January to September period, from 16,500 gigawatt hours a year earlier.

It says solar power's share in the country's electricity production rose to 6.1% from 4.1% a year ago. Wind power gained slightly to 8.6% from 8.0%. Biomass plants accounted for almost 6%.

It says all renewable energies combined accounted for about 26% of electricity production over the first nine months of the year.

Germany decided last year to phase out nuclear power by 2022 and replace it with renewable energies.

In the U.S., renewables, including hydro, account for only 10% of energy generation, according to the Energy Information Administration.