News item | 06-07-2023 | 5:08 PM
Solar energy is clean, good for the wallet and security of supply. The Netherlands is a leader in solar energy within Europe; the growth in the number of solar panels has never been as high as in the past year. We expect this growth to continue in the coming years. Challenges in the growth of solar energy are the space for solar panels in the Netherlands and the capacity of the electricity grid. The government therefore wants this growth to be of high quality and that smart use is made of space and of the electricity grid.
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Make good use of available space
The Netherlands faces major social challenges, while the available space is scarce. That is why it is important to make good use of the space for solar panels. With the ‘Sun Preference Order’, the cabinet is steering towards a multifunctional use of space along four consecutive steps:
Step 1: Solar panels on roofs and facades
Step 2: Unused land in built-up areas
Step 3: Unused land in rural areas
Step 4: Agricultural and natural land
The starting point is that solar panels are placed on roofs and facades as much as possible or in combination with other uses. This does not take up any extra space. The cabinet encourages the installation of solar panels on the roofs of buildings, greenhouses, industrial estates, landfills and above parking lots. An important condition is that multifunctional combinations are well suited to the landscape and contribute to the goals for the generation of sustainable energy.
Solar panels on nature and agricultural land (step 4) are limited as much as possible. The principle of ‘no-unless’ applies to these grounds. Minister De Jonge (Spatial Planning) is discussing with fellow authorities how this will be legally established with the Solar Preference Order from 1 July 2024, together with the obligation to install solar panels at new parking spaces.
With the program Generating Energy on Government Land (OER) the government wants to set an example by installing solar panels on government land. It thus contributes to the RES objective (Regional Energy Strategy). In addition to onshore wind, the cabinet is also encouraging innovative developments such as solar at sea, for which 44.5 million euros has been released from the Climate Fund.
Circularity and International Corporate Social Responsibility
The Minister for Climate and Energy recently signed the ICSR covenant with 34 (international) organizations from the renewable energy sector for a socially responsible energy transition. Organizations that participate in this take responsibility for the effects of business activities on people, the environment and society. A circular life cycle of solar panels reduces the footprint of solar panels. This innovative knowledge is present in the Netherlands. This is one of the reasons why it is important that the production and further development of high-quality circular solar panels also take place more in the Netherlands. The government is allocating 412 million euros from the National Growth Fund for the development of circular solar panels, 277 million of which are conditional. This project should ensure that solar panels are made from less critical raw materials and that the Netherlands becomes less dependent on foreign production of panels.
Everyone can participate
In recent years, many people with solar panels have been able to benefit from the net metering scheme. The costs for solar panels have fallen sharply since 2004 and the payback period of the investment has become much shorter. That is why the government has opted to phase out the net metering scheme gradually, while keeping an eye on the payback periods. So it remains interesting to invest in solar panels. The bill still has to be discussed in the Senate. The government believes it is important that everyone can benefit from the sun: both homeowners and tenants. That is why the government is releasing 100 million euros for corporations and private landlords in the regulated segment, provided that the net metering scheme is phased out. The generated electricity must go to the tenant. In this way, tenants, just like homeowners, can benefit from the benefits of solar energy.
Grid capacity
The Netherlands is becoming more sustainable. As a result, the demand for capacity on the electricity grid is growing explosively. This applies not only to the purchase of electricity, but also to the return of energy to the grid, for example through solar panels. Network operators jointly invest billions of euros per year in expanding and upgrading the electricity grid, but this cannot prevent demand for capacity from growing faster than supply. That is why it is important to use the electricity grid in a smarter and more flexible way. Increasing the capacity on the grid has the highest priority for the government. The National Grid Congestion Action Program was therefore launched in December in collaboration with the parties involved, in which actions are carried out that contribute to increasing capacity. In addition, the supplementary climate package of last April also included measures that, for example, stimulate batteries in large solar parks, so that more solar parks can be connected to the existing grid.
Minister Jetten (Climate and Energy): “The Netherlands has become a leader in the field of solar energy in a few years and we can be proud of that. In 2022, we will have jointly installed more than 4.2 GW. We want to continue that growth. Solar power makes a major contribution towards a climate-neutral electricity system in 2035.”