In the Netherlands, solar power is becoming an increasingly popular renewable energy source. With an average of two solar panels per inhabitant and an installed capacity of more than 1 kilowatt (KW) per person, the Netherlands is leading Europe in solar power. To help meet its goal of 70% renewable energy by 2030, the nation has embraced creative solutions, such as putting solar panels on car parks, commercial lakes, sheep grazing fields, strawberry farms, disused churches, train stations and airfields. Low equipment prices, an effective energy subsidy scheme, and ambitious government targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have all driven the Dutch expansion. The nation’s “net metering” system allows households with solar panels to offset their green electricity production against their consumption, and the 2022 renewable energy budget is 13 billion euros. The Netherlands has also put solar panels on an unusual hill – 25 meters tall – built from 15 years’ worth of household and business waste, which can produce up to 8.9 megawatts of power and generate enough electricity for about 2,500 households. The country is assessing what could be changed to encourage more solar farms that are better integrated into the landscape, and firms are looking for ways to make solar plants work alongside agricultural production.
Floating solar and trash mountains How the Netherlands became Europe’s solar power leader
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