Grid operators have seen more and more households opt for solar panels in 2023. There are solar panels in almost 2.6 million homes in the Netherlands, compared to two million the previous year. However, there is also the issue of the large number of solar panels. Netbeheer Nederland would like to see these households use the generated energy themselves.
32% of all homes in the Netherlands have solar panels, making us one of the leaders in Europe. However, it was noted that the first half of 2023 was particularly strong in terms of growth in solar panels: it declined significantly later in the year. What the Netherlands Electricity and Gas Network Operators Association also sees is that the homes themselves actually use very little of the electricity generated. “The growth in the number of solar panels makes the urgency to use your electricity even greater,” he writes. Currently, only a small portion of the electricity generated in a home is used, about 30-40%.
Power supply
The rest of this energy is supplied to the power grid, but this can cause local overloads. This then encourages the inverters to be turned off. The association believes that it would be better if the generated electricity was used more, and suggests, for example, charging the car or washing when the sun rises instead of in the evening. Many people showered in the evening because those times were off-peak and cheaper, but with solar panels, it's just the opposite.
According to the organisation's Director of Policy and Energy Transition, Hans-Peter Oskamm, the netting rule encourages people to save electricity. “Abolishing the netting rule means that there will be room on the grids for more homes with solar panels. The current netting system encourages the return of electricity and therefore contributes to grids being completed and solar panels being turned off on a regular basis. It is better now to look at an incentive to use more electricity at times In which a lot of electricity is generated.
Strengthening the electricity network
Much is already being invested to strengthen the electricity network, for example through a loan provided by the government to ensure these developments continue. However, all kinds of new developments make the grid more necessary: electric car charging stations, for example, also need a lot of power. In addition, Netbeheer Nederland believes that it is also the task of consumers to register their solar panels, so that there is more information about where and how many solar panels are on roofs, so that grid operators can better distribute them.
