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Solar power in the Netherlands has an installed capacity of around 1,405 megawatt (MW) of photovoltaics as of the end of 2015. Whilst the Netherlands saw its capacity grow by around 357 MW during 2015, the fourth highest in Europe in that year, its installed capacity per inhabitant remained low at 83.1 MW Watts per inhabitant compared to the European average of 186.1 Wp/inhab, in particular compared to its neighbour Belgium at 286.7 Wp/inhab.
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In November 2014 SolaRoad, the world's first experimental solar cycle path, was opened in the village of Krommenie. The aim of the project is to test the practicality and cost efficiency of embedding solar panels into a cycle path. The idea is that the path, which is expected to generate 50 to 70 kWh/m² each year, can power anything from street lights or traffic lights to electric cars or houses. The developers of SolaRoad believe that up to 20% of the 140,000 km of road in Holland could be used to harvest solar energy.
Background
2016 The largest solar installation in the Netherlands, the 6 MW array at the Wadden-Island Ameland was officially opened in June 2016.
2014 By August 2014, the total had reached 1 GW mark for the first time.
2013 According to the Dutch grid operators, solar capacity grew to a cumulative power of 655.4 MW at the end of 2013
2012 Solar capacity more than doubled to 321 MW with new added capacity of 175 MW.
2011 A 500-kilowatt solar array was added to the roof of Rotterdam’s central train station.
2008 Subsidies of 33 euro cents per kWh were introduced i but initially failed to attract much development, but when they were curtailed, the Dutch banded together to make large purchases at discount instead.
Statistics
Deployment of photovoltaic systems in the Netherlands. Nameplate capacity in MWP.
In addition to photovoltaics, solar energy is used extensively for heating water, with 332,217 kWth installed by the end of 2011.