Sun, wind and biomass: almost half of the production of electrical energy in the Netherlands in 2023 came from renewable sources. Statistics Netherlands reports this based on provisional figures.
According to Statistics Netherlands, the production of electricity from renewable sources increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year. The share of renewable sources in total electricity production was 48 percent over the entire year, with summer months such as July even generating more than half of electricity production from renewable sources.
The shift to renewable energy is further underlined by the decline in electricity production from fossil fuels, which showed a 12 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Coal production in particular decreased by 38 percent.
Biomass, while still an important source of renewable energy, saw a decrease of 1,7 billion kWh in energy generation compared to the previous year. This decline was partly caused by reduced use of biomass in coal-fired power stations.
Wind energy is the strongest grower, with an increase of 35 percent compared to the previous year, good for 29 billion kWh. This growth is attributed to an expansion of wind farms on both land and sea. Solar energy also saw a significant increase, with a 24 percent increase in electricity production thanks to an increased number of solar panels, resulting in a total production of 21 billion kWh.
In addition to the increase in domestic production, the Netherlands also exported more electricity, with the largest share going to Germany, followed by Belgium and the United Kingdom. This growth in exports was partly stimulated by the closure of the last nuclear power plant in Germany. Despite an increase in imports, which rose by 5 percent to 19 billion kWh, exports were higher for the second consecutive year.
Source CBS
