Table explanation

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Explanation 2. Definitions and explanation of symbols 3. Links to relevant tables and articles 4. Sources and methods 5. More information 1. EXPLANATION This table contains figures on the gross final consumption (absolute and relative) of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy from wind, hydropower, sun, soil, outside air heat and biomass. It is energy from natural processes that is constantly replenished. The data can be broken down by energy source/technology and by application (electricity, heat and transport).

The gross final consumption of renewable energy as a percentage of total gross final consumption is used as a target for European and national renewable energy policies. 
The total gross final consumption (the denominator used to calculate the percentage of renewable energy per 'Source/Technology') can be found in the table as 'Total, including non-renewable' with energy application 'Total'. 
The gross final consumption for the energy applications 'Electricity' and 'Heat' are also available in the table. This allows the percentages of the different techniques per energy application to be calculated; these values ​​are not shown in the table. 
The gross final consumption for 'Transport' is not shown in the table due to the complexity behind its calculation. More information about this can be found in the annual publication Renewable energy in the Netherlands.

This table focuses on the share of renewable energy according to the EU Renewable Energy Directive. Under this directive, countries can implement an administrative transfer by purchasing renewable energy from countries that have consumed more renewable energy than the agreed target. Before 2020, the Netherlands implemented such a transfer by purchasing renewable energy from Denmark. This transfer is shown in this table as a separate energy source/technique, and two totals are included; one total with and one total without statistical transfer.

Figures from 2020 and earlier have been calculated according to RED I and will not be adjusted in accordance with the agreement with Eurostat. This may cause inconsistencies with other tables where updates are being made.

Data available from: 1990 Status of the figures: The figures in this table are final up to and including 2023, the figures for 2024 are provisional. 

Changes as of November 2025.
The table has been revised for 2021–2022 and updated for 2023–2024. The revision concerns improved data on (bio)diesel and consumption of mobile equipment in the construction industry and services. This will result in a shift from biodiesel consumption for energy applications such as transport to energy applications such as heating and cooling. It concerns alterations of a pair of PJs. 

Changes as of July 2025: Due to the longer than usual lead time for compiling solar power figures for 2024, not all energy tables contain the latest figures for 2024 solar power production. This table contains outdated figures from June 2025. The most up-to-date figures, showing a 2024 solar power production that is approximately 5 percent higher, can be found in these two tables: - StatLine - Solar power; capacity and power class, businesses and residential, region - StatLine - Renewable energy; solar power, wind energy, RES region At the next regular update (November 2025) the more provisional figures will be updated and all tables will again contain the same information. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Changes as of June 2025: Figures for 2024 added.

Changes as of January 2025: Renewable cold has been added as a Source/Technology from 2021 onwards, in accordance with RED II. Figures from 2020 and earlier were calculated according to RED I definitions; renewable cold was not included. 
The “Heat” application has been renamed to “Heat and Cold” to better align with the RED II classification of renewable energy applications. 
RED II is the revised EU Renewable Energy Directive which came into force in 2021. 

Changes as of November 2024: Figures for 2021 – 2023 have been changed. This makes the 2022 figures final, the 2023 figures provisional. The 2021 figures have been revised.
The method behind wind power generation has changed; the wind turbines' own power consumption is now included in the figures. This has been pushed back to 2021. Furthermore, more wind turbines were connected in 2021 than previously thought. This also affects the installed capacity for 2022 and 2023 and thus the normalized gross production. As a result, the gross final consumption of the wind turbines has changed from 2021 onwards.

Changes as of June 2024: Figures for 2023 added.

Changes as of March 2024: The figures for co-digestion of manure and other biogas for total energy applications have been corrected for 2021 and 2022. The final energy consumption of non-sustainable biogas (according to RED II) was incorrectly included in the gross final consumption of these biogas types. Figures for total biogas, total biomass and total renewable energy were correct and have remained the same.

Changes as of November 17, 2023: Figures for 2021 have been adjusted and are now final. The 2022 figures have been updated. The new energy carrier 'Total, including non-renewable' was added from 1990 onwards. From 2022 onwards, the energy carrier 'Biokerosine' has been added.

Changes as of June 2, 2023: Preliminary figures for 2022 have been added. From reporting year 2021 onwards, new sustainability criteria will apply under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) for solid and gaseous biomass consumed in installations above a certain power limit. Only biomass that meets these criteria is included in the figures for 2021 and later.


When will new figures be available: Preliminary figures on the gross final consumption of renewable energy in broad outline for the previous year are published every year in June. 

In November, all figures on renewable energy consumption in the previous year are published. These figures will be provisional in the future; final figures will appear in November of the second year after the reporting year. The most important (expected) changes between November and a year later are the figures for solar power. The figures on the share in the total energy consumption of the Netherlands may also be changed due to the availability of adjusted figures on total energy consumption.




2. DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS Renewable energy Energy from wind, hydropower, sun, soil, outside air heat and biomass. This is energy from natural processes that are constantly replenished.

Gross final energy consumption The amount of energy used by end users. After this, no useful energy carrier remains. The consumption of electricity and heat by electricity production companies and the distribution losses of electricity and heat are added to this. End-users are the industrial (excluding refineries), households, services, agriculture, fisheries and transport sectors.

Explanation of symbols: nothing (blank): the number cannot occur for logical reasons. 		: the figure is unknown, insufficiently reliable or confidential * : provisional figures ** : further provisional figures In this table the symbol nothing (blank) is also used for cells that are nil.


3. LINKS TO RELEVANT TABLES AND ARTICLES Relevant tables: The main related tables on renewable energy are: -Renewable electricity; production and capacity 
- Biomass; consumption and energy production from biomass by technology
- Avoided consumption of fossil energy and CO2 emissions

Electricity production from biomass, hydropower, wind and solar per month is included in: - Electricity balance sheet; supply and consumption

The energy balance is shown here: - Energy balance; supply, conversion and consumption
- Energy balance; supply and consumption, sector

The table that was followed by this table is in the archive:
Renewable energy; consumption by energy source, technology, and application; 1990-2019


Relevant article: An explanation of the developments and a methodological justification can be found in the publication: Renewable energy in the NetherlandsA background article on renewable cooling can be found here: Renewable cold according to European directive

More information can be found on the theme page Industry and energy. 4. SOURCES AND METHODS The research method of this table can be found in the research description Renewable energyThe method for calculating solar power was changed in 2018, leading to a revision of the figures from 2012 to 2017. The new method was published in the article Solar power at a regional level which was published in June 2018. The calculation method for renewable energy is described in more detail in the Renewable Energy Monitoring Protocol (RVO.nl and CBS). 5. MORE INFORMATION

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Copyright © Statistics Netherlands, The Hague/Heerlen Reproduction is permitted provided that Statistics Netherlands (CBS) is cited as the source.

Topics/classifications

• Learning objectives and topics

  • Gross final consumption

    This table uses the terajoule (TJ) as the unit. This is 1,000,000,000,000 joules (a 1 with 12 zeros). A joule is a unit of energy equal to 0,24 calories. One TJ is equivalent to 31,600 cubic meters of natural gas or 278,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

  • Gross final consumption relative

    Gross final consumption of renewable energy as a percentage of total gross final energy consumption, calculated according to definitions from the EU Renewable Energy Directive of 2009. Total gross final energy consumption is the sum of three components: 1. The final energy consumption of the end-use sectors: industry (excluding refineries), households, services, agriculture, fisheries and transport; 2. Transmission and distribution losses of electricity and heat; 3. Self-consumption of electricity and heat producers in the production of electricity and sold heat.

• Source/technique

  • Total renewable energy excl. stat. transfer.

    The total of all renewable energy sources, excluding statistical transfers of renewable energy.

  • Total renew. energy inc. stat. transfer.

    The total of all renewable energy sources, including statistical transfers of renewable energy.

  • Statistical Transfer

    A statistical transfer involves purchasing a quantity of renewable energy from a country that has achieved its European target and has a surplus.

  • Total, including non-renewable

    The total of all energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable.

  • Hydropower

    Energy generated using falling or flowing water.

  • Total wind energy

    Energy generated by a windmill or wind turbine. Windmills are located on land, in inland waterways, or at sea. Windmills in inland waterways are considered onshore wind energy.

  • Onshore wind energy

    Wind energy from onshore wind turbines. This also includes turbines installed in inland waterways, such as the IJsselmeer.

  • Offshore wind energy

    Energy from offshore wind turbines. The first offshore wind farm was commissioned in the autumn of 2006.

  • Total solar energy

    Solar radiation used for hot water or electricity production by solar collectors or solar cells. Solar energy that is used directly and not actively transferred by a system (passive solar energy) is not included. Examples of passive solar energy include heating a building or greenhouse by the sun through a window.

  • Solar power

    Solar radiation converted into electricity.

  • solar heat

    Solar radiation converted into heat.

  • Total geothermal energy and soil energy

    Geothermal energy and ground energy are all energy sources originating from beneath the Earth's solid surface. A distinction is made between geothermal energy and ground energy. The dividing line is 500 meters. Geothermal energy focuses solely on the heat, while ground energy can utilize both the heat and cold from the ground.

  • geothermal heat

    Geothermal energy is ground energy originating from a depth of more than 500 m. Ground energy below this depth originates from processes within the Earth's interior. It is also known as deep geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is typically utilized using a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger is a device that combines two streams of different temperatures, allowing heat to be transferred from the high-temperature stream to the low-temperature stream. Unlike a heat pump, a heat exchanger requires very little auxiliary energy.

  • Ground heat

    Geothermal energy in the form of heat. This refers to heat from the ground up to a depth of 500 meters and is derived from energy exchange with the atmosphere. Geothermal energy is also known as shallow geothermal energy and/or thermal energy storage (HSE) and is usually utilized with a heat pump.

  • Outside air heat

    Heat from the outside air. This is used to heat homes and commercial buildings using a heat pump. A heat pump is a device that converts low-temperature heat into high-temperature heat by supplying auxiliary energy (often electricity). It works similarly to a refrigerator. Low-temperature heat (inside the refrigerator) is also converted into high-temperature heat (outside the refrigerator).

  • Renewable cold

    This concerns renewable cold for comfort cooling as defined in the RED II (from 2021). Cold is the heat extracted from an enclosed or indoor space to lower or maintain the room temperature to a certain temperature. The portion of the cold that counts as renewable energy depends on the seasonal performance (the seasonal performance factor of the technology used). 

  • Total biomass

    Plant or animal material of recent origin used for energy production. Examples include wood, manure, and waste from the food processing industry.

  • Waste incineration plants

    The incineration of waste by waste processing plants. Only the energy produced by incinerating the portion of waste originating from plants and animals counts towards renewable energy.

  • Co-firing and co-firing of biomass in power plants

    Co-firing of biomass in power plants. One example is the co-firing of solid biomass in coal-fired power plants. This often involves wood pellets. Pellets are compressed wood chips.

  • Total biomass households

    Burning wood within households using a wood stove and the consumption of charcoal.

  • Biomass households, fireplaces

    Household wood consumption in fireplaces.

  • Biomass households, inserts

    Household wood consumption in a fireplace insert. Fireplace insert: Lockable, built-in wood-burning stove.

  • Biomass households, wood stoves

    The consumption of wood by households in a freestanding wood stove.

  • Biomass households, pellet stoves

    Household wood consumption in a freestanding pellet stove. 

  • Household biomass, charcoal consumption

    Household charcoal consumption. This primarily concerns barbecue use. The avoided fossil fuel consumption and avoided CO2 emissions from charcoal consumption are zero.

  • Total biomass boiler companies

    The combustion of solid and liquid biomass for decentralized electricity and heat production. Examples include the combustion of wood and paper sludge.

  • Biomass boiler companies, CHP

    Combustion of solid and liquid biomass in biomass boilers for decentralized electricity production, with or without heat production. The abbreviation CHP stands for combined heat and power: the combined generation of electricity (power) and heat. This category also includes some installations that only produce electricity. Co-firing biomass in coal-fired power plants does not fall under this category; see "Co-firing biomass in power plants" for more information.

  • Biomass boilers companies, heat only

    The combustion of solid and liquid biomass solely for heat production. This usually involves wood-burning stoves and wood boilers at heat-generating companies.

  • Total Biogas

    Gas is produced by the fermentation of organic material. Examples include sludge from wastewater treatment plants, landfilled waste (landfill gas), vegetable, fruit, and garden waste (organic waste), manure, corn, and vegetable waste streams from agriculture, agro-industry, and trade.

  • Biogas from landfills

    Landfill gas is produced from the organic portion of landfilled waste. Some of this gas is put to good use.

  • Biogas sewage treatment plants

    Active digestion of organic material in sewage treatment plants.

  • Biogas, co-fermentation of manure

    Fermentation of manure combined with other plant material. Often, but not always, carried out by agricultural businesses. Listed under "Other biogas" until 2004. Fermentation of manure alone (mono-fermentation) is also included.

  • Other biogas

    This primarily concerns the fermentation of plant-based waste in industry and the fermentation of vegetable, fruit, and garden waste (GFT). Up to and including 2004, this includes "Biogas, co-fermentation of manure."

  • Liquid biofuel for transport, total

    Total liquid biofuels for transport: Fuels made from vegetable or animal materials for transport and mobile equipment. This concerns the biofuels sold on the Dutch market, often blended with regular gasoline and diesel. Since 2011, this table has excluded biofuels that do not meet the sustainability criteria of the EU Renewable Energy Directive. Compliance with the criteria is determined based on information from the Netherlands Emissions Authority (NEa). In contrast, the StatLine tables "Biomass consumption by technology" and "Liquid biofuels for transport" include all biofuels. Therefore, the amount of biofuel consumed in this table may differ from the amount consumed in the other tables. Liquid biofuels for transport for road transport fall under the "transport" energy application in this table. Liquid biofuels for transport for mobile equipment in construction and agriculture fall under the "heat" energy application in this table. This classification stems from the EU Renewable Energy Directive. 
    

  • Biogasoline

    Biofuels suitable for use in gasoline engines, usually blended with regular gasoline. A commonly used form of biogasoline is bioethanol.

  • Biodiesel

    Biofuels suitable for use in diesel engines, usually blended with regular diesel. HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) is also considered biodiesel.

  • Biokerosene

    Kerosene made from plant or animal materials. Also known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) if the fuel is produced in an environmentally friendly manner, in accordance with European agreements on sustainable biofuels.

• Energy applications

  • Total energy applications

• Periods

  • 2023

  • 2024 **

    Additional provisional figures