Netherlands installed 853 MW of solar in 2017, monocrystalline modules dominate

According to new numbers released by Good!/Solar Solutions, the Dutch solar market grew by 60% last year. PV currently covers approximately 2.2% of the country’s power demand, while monocrystalline modules accounted for around 60% of last year’s solar panel sales.

January 25, 2018 Emiliano Bellini

Solar PV covered around 2.2% of Netherland's power demand in 2017.

Image: Flickr/Mirko Tobias Schäfer

The Netherlands saw the addition of new solar PV systems with a combined capacity of 853 MW last year, according to the “Nationaal Solar Trendrapport 2018,” released by Good!/Solar Solutions.

If confirmed by official numbers, last year’s results would represent a growth of 328 MW and 60% compared to 2016, which had been the country’s record year in terms of solar energy development, with around 525 MW of newly installed capacity.

Good!/Solar Solutions said its numbers are based on data provided by the Dutch power distributors and solar installers.

With the addition of the 853 MW of new installations, the country’s cumulative installed PV capacity should have reached around 2.91 GW, as of the end of December 2017.

According to the company’s results, around 365 MW were installed on residential pitched roofs, while another 50 MW was deployed on residential flat roofs. Furthermore, 45 MW come from ground-mounted PV plants, and another 392 MW are represented by commercial rooftop installations.

The report also reveals that in 2017, all the PV systems installed in the country were able to cover around 2.2% of its power demand.

Surprisingly, monocrystalline modules surpassed polycrystalline panels in terms of market share last year, accounting for 59.7% of last year’s sales.

Polycrystalline and thin film modules comprised a percentage of 36.7% and 2.3%, respectively. The report also reveals that in 2017, around 3.64 GW of modules were imported mostly from Vietnam, which has a 40% share, followed by China (13%), South Korea (9%), Malaysia (7%), Mexico (6%), Thailand (6%), and Taiwan (5%).

Total imports registered by the Dutch custom authorities reached an aggregate value of €1.67 billion, thus surpassing the previous year’s result which was of €1.37 billion.

The Netherlands’ installed PV power might grow from around 2.9 GW currently to 20 GW by 2035, according to the National Energy Report (Nationale Energieverkenning 2017 – NEV) published by Dutch research institute Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland (ECN), in partnership with the Dutch Central Office for Statistics (CBS) in October.

The study also reveals that the Dutch PV market could also reach a remarkable 6 GW of operational installed PV capacity by 2020.

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