News Energy
Seven of the eight solar panels are on the roof
Of all solar energy generated in the Netherlands, 13% comes from solar fields. By far the largest part comes from solar panels on roofs. This is apparent from the NOVI monitor of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).
The recent 'Monitor National Environmental Vision 2020' of the PBL states which developments are taking place in a living environment. These developments are linked to the goals that the Netherlands has set to have a circular economy by 2050. For example, space must be created for energy transition. The baseline measurement shows that the Netherlands faces major challenges in generating enough renewable energy.
Share of solar panels is increasing rapidly
The target for installed wind capacity in 2020 will not be achieved, according to the PBL. On the other hand, the share of energy from solar panels is now increasing rapidly. The installed solar capacity grew from approximately 1.800 megawatts in 2015 to 6.874 megawatts in 2019. This represents an increase of no less than 382%.
Most of this solar energy is generated on roofs. Almost 7 of the 8 solar panels are on the roof. For the first time, the share of large-scale installations (more than 15 kilowatts of power) was slightly larger than small-scale installations in 2019. The total installed capacity of solar panels in the Netherlands grew 49% compared to 2018.
Solar fields grow the fastest
For the time being, the share of onshore solar parks remains at 13% of the total amount of solar energy generated in the Netherlands. It can be seen that between 2018 and 2019 large-scale sun-on-field increased somewhat more (68%) than large-scale sun-on-roof (60%) and even more than small-scale sun-on-roof (38%).
Most solar energy (almost 17%) is generated in the province of North Brabant. The province is good for 1.142 megawatts. The majority of that energy, almost 92%, comes from the sun on the roof. After North Brabant, most solar energy is generated on roofs in Gelderland, followed by North and South Holland.
Most sun-on-land in Groningen
When it comes to solar parks, Groningen is by far the largest producer with 219 megawatts. In December, the largest solar park in the Netherlands was put into use here. It concerns a solar park of no less than 117 hectares† After Groningen, Zeeland (115 megawatts), Drenthe (96 megawatts) and Noord-Brabant (95 megawatts) follow.
There is a lot to do in the Netherlands about the realization of solar parks. The agricultural sector in particular sees this as a threat to the available space for agricultural activities. Land is scarce anyway. The national environmental vision 2020 states that roofs are preferred over fields in order to preserve the landscape. However, that is not a hard requirement. Set organizations that the government should apply the solar ladder much more strictly. This indicates in which order of priority and at which locations solar parks can be installed on agricultural land.
Jeanette Pennings
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