Netherlands

Rob Jetten, the Dutch energy minister, said the nation’s energy suppliers should implement billing practices for net-metered solar on a yearly basis, and not on a monthly or quarterly basis.

The new measure should come into force on January 1. It is part of the Tax Plan 2023 package and still needs final parliamentary approval.

The remarkable performance of PV in the Netherlands in August was due to more sun, higher generating capacity, and falling energy demand.

The Dutch transmission system operator said that more grid capacity is needed to address the continuous growth of wind and solar energy, as well as that of electromobility and heat pumps.

The Netherlands is planning a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) green hydrogen network that will consist of 85% recycled natural gas pipes. It is expected to go online in 2027.

Rob Jetten, the Dutch energy minister, said the nation’s competition regulator is now looking at how energy suppliers are paying for surplus power from residential PV owners. He said that a reasonable tariff should cover at least 80% of energy prices.

Alliander and Groenleven have completed construction on the Netherlands’ first green hydrogen production facility. It is connected to a 50MW solar park and is expected to generate hydrogen from June.

The Haringvliet energy park consists of a 38MW solar facility a 22MW wind power complex and 12 battery containers. The three systems share the same grid connection.

The country’s cumulative installed PV power reached 14.3GW at the end of 2021.

Grid bottlenecks are increasing in the northern Netherlands and solar project developers will see fewer chances to build PV facilities there.