15% of Netherlands' energy from renewable sources; Up 6% in four years

Last year, 15 percent of the energy used in the Netherlands came from renewable sources, compared to 9 percent in 2019. That puts the Netherlands more than halfway to its target of 27 percent renewable energy in 2030 set in the European Green Deal, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

“Various types of renewable energy are increasingly used,” CBS said. Last year, energy from biomass made up 5.9 percent of total energy consumption, wind energy 4.2 percent, solar energy 3.4 percent, and energy from heat pumps 1.1 percent.

The growing consumption of renewable energy also helps the Nehterlands to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions have fallen by 15 percent since 2019, especially in the electricity sector (26 percent).

By 2030, the Netherlands’ greenhouse gas emissions must be at least 55 percent lower than in 1990. That means the Netherlands can still emit 103 billion kilograms of CO2 equivalent in 2030. Between 2019 and 2022, emissions fell by 27 billion kg of CO2 equivalent. To achieve the 2030 target, emissions must be reduced by another 55 billion kg of CO2 equivalent.