Coalition parties want subsidies for household solar power battery storage

According to RTL Nieuws, ChristenUnie (CU) and VVD are pushing for more households and neighborhoods to use batteries that store electricity generated by solar panels. The idea is that these batteries would be used for everyday electricity use. The parties are offering a 30 percent subsidy to make their proposal more attractive to the public.

“At the moment, the Netherlands is the champion of solar panels," CU MP Pieter Grinwis told RTL Nieuws. "We have the most solar panels per capita worldwide. But we are lagging far behind in storing that self-generated power.”

VVD MP Silvio Erkens agrees with Grinwis on the plan to close this gap between the number of solar panels in the Netherlands and their everyday practical use.

With the proposed 30 percent subsidy, the average 5,000 to 6,000 euro cost of a battery could be lowered by around 1,500 euros. The aim is for the subsidy to come into effect next year and for about 100,000 people to be able to use it.

De Limburger included the rationale outlined in Grinwis' and Erkens’ plan: “Doing laundry in the evening or watching Netflix via our own solar panels must be manageable. Or making coffee with the neighbors on electricity generated and stored together from the neighborhood battery –– who wouldn’t want that?”

However, new Minister for Climate Rob Jetten highlighted limited capacity on the grid as a huge roadblock to creating a green economy. This is not the first time a plan like this has been proposed. During the previous government term, D66 also drafted a proposal along the same lines. The coalition party suggested exempting energy storage from energy tax.

Known as the "netting scheme," in which households can sell their surplus electricity to energy suppliers, it will be phased out in the next few years.