The Netherlands European leader in solar panels, but how can it be improved?
NOS News•
After considerable catching up, the Netherlands is now one of the European leaders when it comes to generating solar energy. The coming energy prices will generate even more interest in solar panels, but the high demand has also reached the limit of what is possible in the short term.
spatially, our country has more than one and a half million homes with solar panels, says Techniek Nederland. That includes one in five houses that have panels on the roof. This makes the Netherlands a European frontrunner when it comes to solar energy per person, the European industry organization SolarPower Europe mentioned earlier.
“We have less sun and space for solar panels than many other countries. That is why we are an unexpected frontrunner for many people,” says Wim Sinke, former annual solar energy at the University of Amsterdam. “Ten years ago we were much lower in the rankings. But we have turned our disadvantage into an advantage and have become very creative with the space we have.”
There are other reasons for this rise in the rankings, according to Wijnand van Hoof, director of the solar energy sector organization Holland Solar. “In the Netherlands there are general sustainable incentive schemes for energy production and we have a population that has become more involved.
2 percent solar energy
Although the Netherlands is doing well in Europe, in 2021 only 2.1 percent of the total energy consumption of the Netherlands was covered by solar energy. If you look at the total energy demand, for example also that of heat, just under 14 percent came from renewable energy sources.
“That means that we have a major problem in the Netherlands and Europe,” says Van Hoof. “I see the gas crisis mainly as a wake-up call that tells us that we really need to accelerate the sustainability of our energy system.”
Because the European Commission wants to get rid of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine, there is extra urgency for sustainability. Brussels expects the fastest results from solar energy. According to certain estimates, solar panels on roofs can ultimately provide 25 percent of European electricity production, the committee said. For example, all new large buildings can be equipped with solar panels from 2025, and from 2029 also all new homes.
Grid, inverters and installers
It is therefore clear that more installations need to be installed to comply with the climate plans. But there are bumps in the road.
Like the overloaded power grid. In several places it is not possible to connect a new solar park to the electricity grid. Private solar panels can also be switched off by grid operators if too much energy is generated. Individuals then lose money.
A lack of a problem is also a problem right now. Such devices are necessary to make the generated power suitable for use in the home, but the microchips they contain are not readily available. Multiple installations confirm that panels are currently being installed that will not work until inverters are available.
And then there is another well-known shortage: that of suitable personnel. It is up to failed attempts to increase further. “That will not disappear soon, because the demand for solar panels will only increase,” says Van Hoof. According to him, new installations of solar panels are not easy to find: “That is really a profession, for which you have to follow a good training.”