Electricity Generation and Consumption in the German Empire, 1925-1939

The supply of electricity occupies a special position whithin the entire energy supply: The electrical energy is a secondary form of energy, ie it is produced from other energy sources. Moreover, this form of energy is used in many ways and for some applications electricity is the only form of energy which could be used. This form of energy is on the basis of a sophisticated transmission technology easily transportable and today available for every household and every business. The electricity supply has become an indispensable factor in civilization and the economy.

With the study of H. Ott of the public electricity supply in Germany (GESIS data file ZA8409) a detailed electricity statistics for the period 1890-1913 is available in the GESIS-Data Archive. This study was funded by the DFG a subproject within the framework of the comprehensive DFG Priority Programme "Historical Statistics of Germany". The goal of the Priority Programme was to gain deeper historically and thematically broad time series on the basis of new research, which are source critically and methodically annotated and bibliography to documented. In this context, a wealth of information on issues of production, trade, population as well as for the transport sector has been detected and documented.

The data of the present study cover now the development of electricity industry for the period between the two world wars, using the official statistics. The period begins with the year 1925, in which for the first time after the 1st World War a comprehensive survey of energy companies was conducted. Electricity is produced by conversion of other (primary) energy sources. Between 1925 and 1939, coal and hydropower are in particular the essential sources for electricity production.

In the present study, data were collected for the electricity industry from the available official statistics for the German Reich. On the following topics time series data has been collected:

Datatables in histat (Subject: Energy (Energie)):

A. Electricity production of the German Empire’s Länder.
(Stromerzeugung der deutschen Länder und des Deutschen Reichs)
B. Power stations in the German Empire by size
(Elektrizitätswerke im Deutschen Reich nach Größenklassen)
C. Foreign trade of the German Empire with electricity
(Außenhandel des Deutschen Reichs mit Strom)
D. Internal power consumption by consumption groups
(Interner Stromverbrauch nach Verbrauchsgruppen)
E. Ownership of public power stations of the German Reich
(Besitzverhältnisse der öffentlichen Elektrizitätswerke des Deutschen Reichs)
F. Performance and electricity production of private power stations by commercial groups in the German Empire
(Leistungsfähigkeit und Stromerzeugung nach Gewerbegruppen im Deutschen Reich)