Growth in sustainable energy generation stagnating: platform

The growth of the share of sustainably generated energy stagnated in the Netherlands last month, according to the platform Energieopwek.nl. The reason for this is that solar panels and windmills have been turned off more often when they produce more power than necessary. According to Energieopwek, this led to 11 percent of potentially produced energy being lost.

When solar panels or windmills produce too much power, the producers have nothing to earn, and sometimes, they even have to pay to put power on the grid, said Energieopwek. This leads to people temporarily turning off their panels or windmills. The share of electricity generated sustainably was 58 percent in July, approximately the same as in July last year.

Another reason was that the power cable between Rotterdam and the United Kingdom, the BritNed-kabel, could not be used for nearly the whole month, according to the platform. This cable can transport 1,000 megawatts of power.

The problems on the power grid also play a role in the growth of sustainably produced electricity. Due to the arrival of sun parks and windmill parks, the grid is full in an increasing number of places in the country. This results in companies and new construction projects sometimes waiting for a new or heavier power connection.

Grid operators will invest billions of euros over the next few years to expand and strengthen the electricity grid to solve the problems. This was said by TenneT, the manager of the high-voltage grid, who invested 4.6 billion euros in expanding and maintaining the grid in the first six months of the year.

Energieopwek reported that windmills and solar panels with more storage capacity will be able to contribute to the sustainability of the Netherlands. The power produced would then not have to be put onto the grid but could be stored for later use and sold for a higher price. The platform added that more green hydrogen could also help with sustainability.