The share of renewable energy in total energy consumption in the Netherlands increased slightly last year. This is evident from figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Friday. In 2022, the contribution of renewable energy was 15 percent, compared to 13 percent a year earlier. In particular, the consumption of solar and wind energy rose last year, while energy consumption from biomass fell slightly. In 2030, according to agreements at EU level, the Netherlands must consist of at least 27 percent of its total energy consumption from renewable energy.
The consumption of renewable energy amounted to 277 Petajoules (PJ) in 2022, 6 percent more than a year earlier. The total energy consumption last year was approximately 1850 PJ. That was more than 7 percent lower than the year before, making it the lowest level since 1990. This decrease was mainly caused by a sharp drop in natural gas consumption. Partly due to the decrease in total consumption, the share of renewable energy increased.
Solar energy consumption also increased by 45 percent last year compared to 2021. This increase is largely due to the installation of new solar panels, the total number of which increased by 28 percent. In addition, Statistics Netherlands saw a 13 percent increase in energy consumption from wind energy compared to a year earlier. Consumption from offshore wind energy remained about the same. Consumption from onshore wind energy grew by 25 percent in the same period. The total capacity of wind turbines was 9,000 megawatts at the end of 2022, an increase of 14 percent. This was made possible by the new windmills that were added on land.
The consumption of biomass in 2022 showed a decrease of 15 percent. This decrease was partly caused by a quarter less biomass being burned at power stations. The stricter sustainability criteria that applied from mid-2021 to certain installations that process solid and gaseous biomass also contributed to the decrease. Despite the decrease, this form of energy is still the largest contributor to renewable energy at 40 percent. The number of heat pumps also increased, but their share of the total amount of renewable energy remains relatively small at 7 percent.
On Thursday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a new report, in which it predicts that a record amount of renewable electricity capacity will be added on a global scale this year. The IEA expects 440 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity to be added this year, mainly from new solar panels and wind turbines. That increase of 107 gigawatts compared to last year would be the largest increase ever recorded.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper on June 3, 2023.