The Netherlands is getting closer to its climate goals. In 2024, almost one fifth of all energy used came from renewable sources. This is thanks to strong growth in offshore wind energy and a doubling of the use of biodiesel in road transport.
New figures from Statistics Netherlands show that the share of renewable energy rose to 19,8 percent last year. In 2023, it was still 17,4 percent. The increase means that the consumption of sustainable sources has more than doubled in five years.
Wind and solar growing steadily, biodiesel skyrockets
Windmills once again played a major role in generating electricity. New turbines came online, particularly at sea. As a result, production from wind increased by twenty percent to 116 petajoules. Remarkably, solar energy lagged behind. Due to a less sunny year and a decrease in the number of installed panels, the yield increased only slightly.
The real leap was made in the transport sector. The use of biodiesel doubled to 25 petajoules, accounting for more than ten percent of all fuels consumed on Dutch roads. This increase is largely due to stricter European blending requirements, which force fuel suppliers to make a larger part of their supply sustainable.
Biokerosene also showed a doubling, although the share is still modest: five petajoules out of a total of 151 petajoules of fueled kerosene. Biogasoline remained stable at 11 petajoules.
Biomass remains the largest source
Despite the rise of wind, solar and liquid biofuels, biomass remains the largest supplier of renewable energy. In 2024, biomass supplied 121 petajoules of energy. This amount comes from a wide range of sources, from wood and manure to food waste.
There was a ten percent drop in electricity from biomass. Co-firing was reduced, partly due to changing subsidy conditions. But biomass remains dominant in the heating sector, with 56 petajoules of heat supplied. Heat pumps, geothermal energy and solar energy are increasingly completing this mix.
Interim results on the road to 2030
Total energy consumption in the Netherlands rose slightly to 1807 petajoules. More than half of this is used for heating and cooling, a quarter for transport and slightly less than a quarter for electricity.
The fact that the twenty percent renewable energy limit is now in sight is good news for climate policy. But it also means that the next steps will be more difficult. The European target for the Netherlands in 2030 is 39 percent renewable energy. To achieve that, a doubling is needed within six years.
This requires not only extra wind and sun, but also a sharp debate on the role of biomass and on how the growth of biofuels in transport can go hand in hand with sustainability and security of supply.
Source: CBS.nl
