Growth in solar panel use slowing down due to less favorable regulations

The growth of the number of solar panels in the Netherlands is decreasing compared to previous years. Statistics Netherlands researcher Vinod Lalta has said that this may be due to the phasing out of the net metering scheme. Because of this, solar panel owners will not be allowed to offset their excess produced electricity against their own usage from 2027. Energy suppliers are also increasingly charging feed-in fees for this surplus.

There has been a notable decrease regarding solar panels being placed on homes. In 2024, installed capacity increased by 12 percent according to Statistics Netherlands, compared to around 30 to 40 percent in previous years, when surging energy prices had also triggered a rush on solar panels.

Capacity growth among businesses was slightly higher than the year before, 22 percent compared to 21 percent. Nearly 60 percent of the total installed capacity of 29 gigawatt-peak is held by businesses. This total capacity is 18 percent higher than a year earlier and roughly four times higher than in 2019.

Lalta noted that solar panels are still a sound investment, especially when most of the generated electricity is used on-site. He believes businesses are generally better at this, which may make solar panel installations more favorable for them.