Solar power in the Netherlands

Solar potential

Solar power in the Netherlands has installed 665 megawatt (MW) of photovoltaics as of the end of 2013.[1] By August 2014, the total had reached 1 GW.[2] Subsidies of 33 euro cents per kWh introduced in 2008[3] had failed to attract much development, but when they were curtailed, Dutch banded together to make large purchases at discount instead.[4]

The largest solar installation in the Netherlands is the 2.2 MW array at the Floriade expo center built in 2002 in Haarlemmermeer.[5] In 2011, a 500-kilowatt solar array was added to the roof of Rotterdam’s central train station.[6] A 6 MW solar farm is planned to begin construction in 2015 on Ameland island.[7]

In 2012 solar capacity more than doubled to 321 MW with new added capacity of 175 MW.[8] According to the Dutch grid operators, solar capacity grew to a cumulative power of 655.4 MW at the end of 2013 [9]

In November 2014 SolaRoad, the world's first experimental solar cycle path, was opened in the village of Krommenie. The aim of the project is to test the practicality and cost efficiency of embedding solar panels into a cycle path. The idea is that the path, which is expected to generate 50 to 70 kWh/m² each year, can power anything from street lights or traffic lights to electric cars or houses. The developers of SolaRoad believe that up to 20% of the 140,000 km of road in Holland could potentially be used to harvest solar energy.[10]

Statistics

Deployment of photovoltaic systems in the Netherlands. Nameplate capacity in MWP.

Number of Countries with PV Capacities in the Gigawatt-scale
5
10
15
20
2006
2010
2014
Growing number of solar gigawatt-markets[11]
YearMWp
200120.5
200226.3
200345.7
200449.2
200550.7
200652.2
200752.8
200857.2
200967.5
201088
2011146
2012321
2013665
20141,123[11]
Note: tentative cumulative figure for 2014 (based on estimated new capacity of 424 MW).
250
500
750
1,000
1,250
1,500
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
Growth of photovoltaics in the Netherlands since 2001 (capacity in megawatts). Estimated figure for 2014.[11]

In addition to photovoltaics, solar energy is used extensively for heating water, with 332,217 kWth installed by the end of 2011.[12]

Gallery

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solar power in the Netherlands.
  1. ↑ Netherlands reached 665 MW of cumulative PV capacity in 2013
  2. ↑ Toespraak van minister Kamp bij de Solar Energy Conference, 22 September 2014
  3. ↑ Netherlands introduces solar power subsidy
  4. ↑ Solar panel surge after subsidy suspension
  5. ↑ Top 10 Dutch Solar PV Projects, SolarPlaza, May 13, 2014
  6. ↑ Rotterdam Central Station
  7. ↑ Neerlands grootste zonnepark op Ameland?, Duurzaam Gebouwd , 4 November 2014
  8. ↑ Photovoltaic Barometer
  9. ↑ Groene Courant, Vermogen zonne-energie bij netbeheerders 214 procent gestegen
  10. ↑ holland-cycling.com, Hilary Staples Solar cycle paths - the way forward?, 22 November 2014
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Snapshot of Global PV 1992-2014" (PDF). http://www.iea-pvps.org/index.php?id=32''. International Energy Agency — Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme. 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Solar Thermal Markets in Europe