On Jan. 29, the German statistics office announced that Germany's economy had slipped into deflation for the first time since the last half of 2009. Though this sharp decline is a direct result of the oil price collapse, underlying inflation had already been dangerously low in Europe's core nation. The reason for this slump is largely a result of unimpressive growth figures not only in Germany but also in Europe overall — a significant hindrance to German growth, since Europe is the market for 55 percent of Germany's exports. Another factor, however, is that renewables had replaced coal as Germany's most consumed source of energy — 26 percent of the total energy generated.