Citizens must do more to combat the strain on the electricity grid, experts say

Not only companies but also consumers should do more to relieve the burden on the entire electricity grid and thus make the energy transition more successful, two energy professors told ANP. A new Cabinet should therefore propose additional measures.

The electricity grid is overloaded almost everywhere in the Netherlands. This leads to overloads at peak times and makes the energy transition more difficult. Grid operators will be investing billions in the coming years to reduce the problems by expanding and strengthening the grid. Energy economics professor Machiel Mulder from the University of Groningen and energy technology professor David Smeulders from TU Eindhoven see this as one of the solutions to the grid problems.

Mulder also believes that people and companies that place an additional burden on the grid with an electric car, for example, should be able to use the grid more efficiently with a different type of energy contract. "Arrange that the parties have to pay a little less for use and in return do not have access to the grid if it threatens to become overloaded. Then you will see that many parties are willing to do this, and that creates a lot of space on the grid." He emphasizes that people will be able to charge their electric cars outside of peak times, for example.

The full electricity grid makes the energy transition "incredibly difficult", Mulder continues. "The transition requires us to use more electricity for heat pumps and solar panels. It is important to eliminate bottlenecks as quickly as possible."

Smeulders advocates contracts in which consumers with solar installations have to pay to feed electricity back into the grid at peak times. "People can then relieve the grid by using their own electricity. Then you are already helping a little." He argues that only 30 percent of consumers' solar systems are used directly for their own energy needs.

This proposal should replace the net metering system, which the government wants to phase out from 2025, says Smeulders. Under this scheme, owners of solar installations receive a relatively large amount of money back for the electricity they supply. In addition, Smeulders believes that a new Cabinet should set up a planning agency for the energy transition. This organization should draw up a comprehensive plan that determines, among other things, how much the Netherlands should invest in offshore wind farms and what should be done with the surplus electricity that is generated during strong winds.