The Dutch solar market saw impressive growth in all segments during the first half of 2018, according to a report from Dutch New Energy Research (DNE).
The Dutch Solar Quarterly figures find the majority of new installations were in the commercial segment, and adds the first half of the year also saw 60% growth in ground-mount installations, compared to the full year figures for last year.
DNE says that it expects further growth in installation numbers in the second half. The prediction came as developer ib vogt recently brought the Netherlands’ largest solar park – a 54.5 MW project in the south of the country – online, under a long-term contract with ENGIE Netherlands.
The nation continues to offer support for solar, with plans to issue green bonds worth up to €5 billion next year. The SDE+ program supports large-scale solar and other renewables, and the future for net metering will become clear next year, according to the DNE report, after a motion to extend the current system until 2023 failed to be enacted.
Chinese panels will soon be in full flow again
The report notes more than €1 billion worth of solar panels was imported into Europe via the Netherlands in the first six months of the year, with Vietnam responsible for the largest share of supply. Imports from Mexico, Thailand and South Korea all grew more than 100% compared with the first half of 2017.
The share of countries importing modules to Europe is likely to change significantly though, given the expiry of market barriers to Chinese module imports.
“Expectation for the future is the Chinese market share will pick up. We have already seen announcements where large contracts are signed for the Dutch market,” said Rolf Heynen, chief executive of DNE. “Currently, South Korean panels and Turkey are doing very well.”
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