Coal-generated electricity spiked in Germany last year to its highest level since 1990, despite the country’s campaign to shift to green sources of energy by 2022.<br /> <br /> Industry figures show that bituminous coal and lignite together contributed 45.5% to the country’s gross energy output in 2013, up from 44% the previous year.<br /> <br /> Brown coal accounted for electricity to the tune of 162 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to about 25% of Germany's total electricity production of 629 billion kilowatt hours in 2013, industry group Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen said.<br /> <br /> Environmentalists, reports AP, criticized the mounting use of coal, saying it is a "dirty" source because of the large amount of carbon dioxide released when it is burned.<br /> <br /> <p> They are now asking for energy reforms to increase the costs of operating coal-fired power stations –especially those that use brown coal, a highly polluting fuel. </p> <p style="text-align:center;"> <img src="/upfiles/news/image/20140109/20140109161042_8598.jpg" alt="" /> </p>