Berlin, Germany - The German Reichstag is set to become the first parliamentary building in the world to use only renewable energy.

A retrofit in the late 1990s greatly improved its energy efficiency and resulted in a 94 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions, the United Kingdon’s Guardian reported last week.

Toward the end of the summer, the building will begin taking advantage of wind and solar energy. Already, basement biofuel generators produce 40 percent of the building’s energy, with the rest coming from coal and nuclear sources. It currently costs about 3 million euros a year to power the building.

A subcommittee voted to seek bids from renewable energy producers, and will choose a supplier over the summer.

About 13 percent of Germany’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources. The country plans to up that proportion to 27 percent during the next 12 years.

According to the Guardian, there also is a trend in zero-emissions homes in Germany. Homes that produce more energy than consumed are able to sell the excess back to the power grid.