No solar panels on Dutch King's palace

No solar panels will be placed on Huis ten Bosch, the residential palace of King Willem-Alexander. The government feels that solar panels would affect the monumental character of the building, according to documents released by Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Housing and Spatial Planning, NU.nl reports.

"Solar panels on the main building are rejected because of its monumental character and visibility," the documents, released through an appeal to the Government Information (Public Access) Act, state. Huis ten Bosch Palace is one of the top 100 Dutch monuments of the National Service for the Preservation of Monuments.

The outbuildings of the 17th-century palace will also not get fitted with solar panels. According to the government, the investment costs, the payback period, and the sustainability return are not proportional. 

In 2018, King Willem-Alexander already said that he'd love to put solar panels on his palace, but was thwarted by the monuments law.